Ashes To Ashes
by Tess 4 5
Summary: A hut has burnt down and a body was found in its ruins. Was it murder? At least the Met's best team was sent to investigate. Will our two London detectives discover who has done this? And who will help them in rural Oxfordshire? A crime fic with romantic scenes...
1. Day 1 - Up and away

**Author's usual notes and disclaimer:** I don't own any of the original characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC. I have borrowed the characters from the TV-Show and solely own the ideas of _my_ stories and the developments _I've_ let them go through.

Please write a **P** rivate **M** essage if I did something terribly wrong so I can fix it. Thanks!

Please read and review! More thanks!

* * *

 **A statement:** As much as I love reading crime fics myself I don't demand them from writers. I'm happy when I find one but I'm also happy to read all those little romances here. Apart from a few we're all non-professional writers with a passion for romance and - for several and different reasons - the Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Most of us have watched the TV show, some of us have read the books, and I think I don't put my head above the parapet when I say that almost all of us have seen the energy between the protagonists in the show. Even Nathaniel Parker once had said: "I would have ended it with Lynley and Havers holding hands and walking off into the sunset." BBC deprived us of that or any ending. The complete series simply stopped in the middle of _something_. We are here to write that something and in my humble opinion this, my regarded readers, is a kiss. (Or more but that's a different kettle of fish...) Just my two pence. Thank you for your attention.

 **Author's note:** This one took me a while but it's complete. Just a bit here and there while I post it chapter by chapter but the story is fully written. Something on the telly inspired me and although this may not be a real mystery it is at least a case. A real one by the way, but I've stretched the reality and a few details *winks* This story is dedicated to Cats who has waited so long and never stopped nagging. Ah, writing long stories really _is_ a lot of work!

 **Summary:** A hut has burnt down and a body was found in its ruins. Was it murder? At least the Met's best team was sent to investigate. Will our two London detectives discover who has done this? And who will help them in rural Oxfordshire? A crime fic with romantic scenes...

Enjoy...

* * *

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 **Ashes to Ashes  
**

 **.**

* * *

 ** **Day 1 -** Up and away**

* * *

"Uh?!" she grunted into the phone.

"Barbara!" It was her boss' cheery voice. "Sorry to interrupt your sleep but you have to get up and-"

"I'm not on call, Sir. And a very good morning to you too." Barbara grumbled reassuring herself that the alarm clock on her bedside cabinet showed a few minutes past six am. On a Saturday!

"Sorry. Good morning, Barbar-" DI Lynley was not given the chance to end his words.

"In the middle of the night a gentleman obviously forgets his good behaviour." the grumpy Sergeant in her bed scolded him. She yawned, loud and clear.

"I could have said 'Havers! Get ready, we have a body. I'll be there in ten.' That wouldn't be better, hm?" he teased her. She could hear him smiling while he said that. It seemed that Tommy's cheerful mood could not be perturbed by Barbara's grumpy morning mood.

"I'd answer I'm not on call." Her voice was mirroring her anger.

"Yes, I know that." Lynley's voice turned softer and understanding. "But Hillier has called me moments ago and asked... no, he's literally _begged_ me to take over this case. Lafferty's already on his way and Nkata will be our back officer as soon as he's brought his date back to her own home."

Barbara only groaned and buried herself under her blanket, together with her phone pressed against her ear. She knew where this would lead to. Although she knew she would not have to get up on her spare day she would not say no to that man. She never really could.

"I couldn't say no." He continued with a few details. "There's a body found in a small wood northwest from Oxford. I understood it's part of the Wychwood National Reserve. In a house owned by one of their CID members in higher ranks. That's why they called for someone from the Met. Someone who's usually successful. Someone like us. It's important that we solve this. In many ways. - Umm... Barbara? ...have you fallen asleep again?"

"Mmmph." she sighed, then blushed before she quickly added a few proper words. "No, Sir." Her voice was a bit muffled and she yawned again. His voice had not lulled her into sleep at all. Instead her mind had fantasised him into bed right next to her under her duvet. It had turned distinctively warmer there and the heat even increased when Barbara blushed now with the feeling of being caught. She cleared her throat. "But I'm not on call."

"I'm not on call either. But getting up earlier than for being at the office at nine is part of the job, isn't it?" He still teased her. It was so audible in the tone of his voice.

She weakly objected. "It's Saturday..."

"You've been working on a Saturday previously."

"Umph!" Barbara only grunted nondescriptively.

"Well, I could ask DS Catz..." Tommy knew which button he had to push. Barbara did not at all like the new DS in their team. She called her vain and stupid and Tommy could not get rid of the feeling that Barbara was a bit jealous every time DS Catz was flirting with their colleagues. Or him, that is, he inwardly added.

"And let your solving rate go down? Better not." She snorted a grim, disbelieving laugh. "Do I have to pack things or will we be going back home in the evening?"

"Hillier's secretary is just organising everything. Pack for a few days. He doesn't want us to return before this is solved."

"Oh, great..." Barbara muttered.

"Indeed. It will be a nice weekend in the country."

"Pfff... Or a fortnight. When will you be here?"

"In ten min-"

"Never! Don't you dare! Make it half an hour and we have a deal. You would not want me to get into your car without a shower and a coffee."

* * *

She had just stepped out of her bathroom with wet hair and a towel wrapped around her body when the doorbell rang. She groaned and ignored it. She would not want to face anybody right now because she had had no coffee yet. Barbara was on the way to her kitchen to get some of the heavenly black liquid before she would dress. If it was not for Tommy's very own knocking that followed the doorbell she would have ignored it completely.

After checking the peephole she opened the door. Disapproving Barbara glared at her boss.

"That hadn't even been twenty minutes, Sir."

"I know." He beamed at her, happy to see her, in fact delighted to see her like this. Tommy fought hard to keep his eyes somewhere near her face and not let them wander down her towel clad body. There was too much of her thighs being shown. Although it had turned better in the recent years she still used to hide her wonderful figure under unfitting clothes. She did not have to, Tommy thought once again. He swallowed but then grinned. "And a very good morning to you too, Barbara. I see you've already showered."

"Uh..." she grunted. "Yah. 'morning, Sir. We've already had that earlier."

"Not personally."

Barbara just rolled her eyes for a reply. "I was on my way to get me a coffee. Come on in then. You want one?"

"That'd be great." Tommy was in an unbearably good mood.

Turning she left the door open for him to follow. He found her watching the kettle heating water with blank, still sleepy eyes. Two mugs with instant coffee already stood next to it. Tommy shook his head. He would never understand why she was drinking this stuff every time she was in a hurry. She even had rejected the coffee machine that works with capsules, even that with environment friendly pads. "Too much rubbish, Sir." she had said. "And too noisy for a morning."

Together the detectives watched the water start to bubble but Tommy did not really see it. His nostrils were filled with the humid scent of something fruity coming from her damp hair which was starting to curl while it dried. It was her usual shampoo that smelled like he knew so well. And they stood so close to each other that he even could feel the warmth coming from her skin. Once she had told him so now he knew that Barbara had a way of showering very hot. The intense thought of having a hot shower with her made him sigh but except for giving him a quizzical look Barbara did not react. It was of great help that the kettle clicked just in the same time.

While Barbara took her mug with her and went to her bedroom to get dressed and pack her things Tommy looked out of the kitchen window for a few minutes sipping at his coffee. Then he put away the pack of salt and an opened bag with spaghetti, then opened the dishwasher and filled it with the dishes that still had been standing on the worktop above it. He smiled. He could imagine her having a bowl of pasta and watching something on the telly, not wanting to interrupt whatever she watched with cleaning up for too long.

* * *

"Do you think I'll need these?" Barbara came in and waved her pair of Wellies through the air. She heated more water for a second coffee. Tommy's mug still was half full.

"You'll never know." he mumbled, mesmerised by the fact that she still wore nothing but the towel. "We can keep them in the car boot. There's enough space. Barbara, don't you think you should dress eventually?"

Before he could think about it his fingers caressed her naked shoulder to emphasise his words. Her skin felt soft and he blushed immediately. He felt goosepimples rising under his fingertips. When he quickly turned away from her he was just able to catch a glimpse of her skin flushing deep red from her hair down to her shoulders.

Tommy had to clear his throat before he dared to speak again. His slightly warning voice overplayed his irritation. "Before you're going to have another coffee you should remind yourself that I'm not willing to stop every fifty miles."

Barbara grunted her disapproval and left him standing there. She hated herself for blushing so easily. She had to remind herself that Tommy was not meaning the touch like it had felt.

"How come you're already here?" she called from her room while she threw the towel onto her bed.

"I was on my way to Cornwall when Hillier called. So I already was on the road."

Only when she heard his answer loud and clear she realised that she had not closed the door completely. If he would take the door that was left ajar as an invitation to follow, he would catch her naked. She had to get dressed quickly, she thought, but fortunately her boss did not follow.

"I only had to turn and drive back a few miles. I was still in London so it only took me ten minutes to get here. I actually waited outside your door for about five minutes before I decided I could as well wait inside and have a coffee. I've knocked twice."

"I was in the shower, I didn't hear you, Sir."

"I know. It was rather obvious, Barbara."

She blushed and refrained from popping her head through the door.

"Give me five minutes to dry my hair, then we can leave."

* * *

At that time of the day there was not much traffic on the roads and they made good time. They had come round at the local CID in Wychwood Market, were introduced to the unpleased team and officially announced as the leading detectives before they were led to the crime scene in the small wood. Lafferty, who would be their pathologist in this case, already had reached the morgue where they had brought the remnants of the body and DI Lynley and DS Havers would meet with him later in the day when he would have the first results.

Apart from a smoke-blackened chimney that accusingly pointed into the dusty morning sky and a few remnants of charcoal pillars there was not much left of the little hut which apparently had been almost completely made of wood. The biting smell of petrol and smoke still filled the air although the fire was distinguished almost 24 hours ago. Water, left there during the fire run, still soaked the ground but the wood was quiet and the trees stayed silent witnesses. Only the white and blue cordon tied to their stems gave a flapping noise in the wind. All in all the scenery trotted out a hackneyed cliché. It was quite spooky with all the SOCO colleagues in their white overalls carefully walking around in the ruins taking pictures and collecting items.

Understanding that DCI Baker was too involved in all of this Barbara was able to suppress one of her usual sarcastic remarks but the looks she exchanged with Lynley spoke volumes.

"It's been an unpleasant fire and Detective Superintendent Grover was rather unpleased when he heard that his hut was burning down. But when one of the firemen found the... person..." Baker swallowed. He obviously had seen the burnt corpse. "Well, it's no asset for a man of his rank, having a body found on his premises..."

While Barbara raised her eyebrows and kept to herself that it probably would be more inconvenient for the common people the noble Detective Inspector nodded compassionately and led the conversation until Jackson, one of the Met's own SOCO team leaders, approached. He released the crime scene for further inspections by the detectives so Baker bid his goodbye.

"I'll leave it to you. If you need something just call. See you later."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	2. First Discoveries

**.**

 **First Discoveries**

 **.**

* * *

Barbara was preoccupied with putting on her Wellies in the passenger seat of Lynley's car so she only nodded at DCI Baker in reply. She was glad she had brought them with her because there was no way to get through the fire water mud without getting dirty shoes. They both did not look very graceful but that also was part of the job so a few moments later they stood there with Jackson, not looking very much better in his white overall.

The SOCO man from London explained a few findings. There was a black porcellain head and small hands of a doll without a body and there were a few pieces of cloth that might be of interest. They also had found a broken vase with flowers next to the veranda and a half melted pot with what seemed to be something to eat in it. Certain hairs had been picked from the unharmed wood of the three steps that had led to what once had been the door. Its strike plate was twisted but if it had come from the heat or a break-in was not yet clear. A spiral from a notepad was found near the entrance and a petrol canister had laid in the middle of the hut. It probably had been thrown there before lighting it all up. On the veranda at the front door and on the wooden steps they found traces that definitely looked as if something was dragged across.

"Most certainly something as heavy as a human body, and it had left narrow traces that might fit the heels of the victim's shoes. Anyway we'll check on everything in the lab. Now we only have to examine the little shed over there..." They all looked to where logs were piled and an axe stuck in a big tree stub. "Oh, and I've already heard news from Lafferty. He's arrived and - it's not my words - already 'working through the leftovers'."

DI Lynley was about to rebuke him for quoting the sarcastic pathologist but Barbara, who knew his temper and his dislike for Lafferty's laissez-faire attitude to those things, took the wind out of his sails. Her elbow that she softly nudged into his side told him to keep calm. She gave a short and bitter laugh. "Oh, pathologists... I guess you have to get sarcastic in that job."

They all nodded silently.

Although he would have used a different description Lynley left it at that. His lips were tightly pressed together. He also knew his temper and was glad that Barbara had taken over the conversation with their colleague. She was doing well, he thought. In his opinion she should finally make that step and pass the Inspector tests. She would be a great team leader.

"We'll call you later in the day and see if you already have any results, Jackson. Thank you." She nodded.

Jackson went to join his colleagues but then turned back once more. "Oh, and don't be bothered by that... umm... small puddle of... err... pizza." He winked. "It's from our tiro. She's never seen a burnt body before."

* * *

"Ta." Barbara laughed and turned to see her boss looking at her but his thoughts seemed to be miles away. She frowned. "Sir?"

Only then Tommy realised that he just had listened with half an ear while he thought about Barbara as an Inspector. They surely would not go on working together but he could lift their friendship onto another level and see her even more often in private than he was now. That is, if she would allow that. When he started to wonder about all that he realised he was still staring at her.

"I was just having a great idea." he grinned apologising.

"And do you want to bring me into the loop?"

He felt his face slightly heating up. "Why don't you lead the investigations?"

"That's bullshit, Sir." Abruptly she started crossing the muddy field. Water splashed from her feet while she trudged through the wet mud. She called back across her shoulder. "We're a _team_ , Sir. And _you_ are _my_ boss. I'm not going to change that."

"That's my problem..." Tommy breathed. Loudly he said that he thought she would make a good DI and finally should make that first step.

"No, Sir. I'm not going to try and get promoted. _Sergeant_ Havers sounds too good." And to be honest to herself she would not want to end their working partnership. Then she pointed to the floor. "Look. There are a lot of footprints here."

"Heavy boots. I guess they're from the firemen." Lynley nodded. "Probably easy to be ruled out from the murderer."

"That is, as long as it was a) a murder and b) the murderer had other shoes." Barbara winked. "Maybe children's size?"

"That would be helpful." They laughed, both thankful for the change of the subject. "Ah, well... Now, let's have a look at the... _remnants_ of this hut."

* * *

In all-expecting silence DI Lynley and DS Havers walked across the muddy grass to the ruin. The sun had been sending its beams over the top of the trees for quite some time but the air on the clearing in the wood still was warming up so the black pile of coal was still crackling. A few bright spotlights were left by the SOCO team so the two detectives could see into every hidden corner. Inside the charred area that once had been the hut small yellow signs with numbers marked the spots where SOCO had found things or traces that might become important later. At the moment the team was quietly examining the shed.

There was not much heard but a uniformed officer shooing away a stray dog where the cars were parked. On the ground beneath their feet Lynley and Havers saw a small white thread marking the place where the body was found. A curious robin came, sat down for a few seconds but left as quickly as it had come without even tweeting once. A brass frame with broken glass and the ashes of what once could have been a photo or a picture still hung on a metal hook at the chimney. It was not the most disgusting scene they had seen but it definitely had the most spooky atmosphere.

* * *

"Sir?" Barbara whispered.

"Hm?" They involuntarily had moved closer to each other.

"I don't think there's anything we could learn here."

"You're right. Let's leave." He placed a warm hand on her shoulder. It was more than soothing.

They returned to the car without saying a word. As if he had been waiting for them to leave the crime scene Hillier's secretary called when Lynley got back into his street shoes. He gave the address of where the detectives would stay and told him where they would find the keys. He also asked them to return as soon as possible to the local CID offices where they had to pick up something he had sent there.

 _"It's a new device that can be connected to your mobiles and to any police computer you want. It will help you collect facts and work with your pathologist from any distance. This way we don't mingle with the system over there."_

"Are we allowed to use their computers for research and footage?" Lynley asked.

 _"Of course. Just don't let them see your progress or what exactly you're working on. Sir Hillier placed importance on that."_

"Understood."

 _"Good luck, Lynley."_

* * *

After a short search in two villages Tommy finally found the holiday cottage the Met had organised for them. It was a little whitewashed house in a row of five in a backstreet near the small village green of Wychwood Mallow. The key was found in a locked safe under the mailbox. Although quite ancient on the outside it was very modern on the inside. On the ground floor there was an open plan kitchen, a dining and living space and a guest toilet.

"It's quite charming." Lynley said looking around and dropping their bags to the ground.

"It's very modern." Barbara stated.

"Too modern? Do you like it more old-fashioned?"

"I didn't say that. It's just that from the outside..."

"...it looks smaller?" He chuckled because he knew Barbara's passion for a certain BBC series.

Laughing she rolled her eyes. "No, _Doctor_. It looks _older_ outside."

* * *

Walking around Barbara recognised that the TV at the wall was bigger than hers at home and the sofa looked soft and comfortable for three. There was no armchair but three kitchen chairs around a dinner table and then she already was in the kitchen area.

"Mh." It was a sound of disapproval. The fridge was empty.

"We have to find the village store." Tommy had read her mind.

"Yah. Or better drive to the next Superstore. Nothing against local products, Sir, but..." her voice trailed off.

"There was a co-op in the small town on the other side of the wood. It looked rather big. More than what I expect in the village here."

"Hamlet. It's a hamlet. In the middle of nowhere."

"To shop or not to shop, that is here the-"

Barbara's annoyed groan made Tommy stop in the middle of the quote.

"Philistine." He winked. "Well, I had hoped it would be a nice B&B but obviously the Met confides in our cooking skills."

"Oh, blimey!"

"I can cook for us, Barbara, and I'm sure you can heat up a frozen pizza."

"What?! I-"

"And buttered toast with jam in the morning- Ouch! What was that for?"

Laughing he rubbed his upper arm where Barbara had punched him. But she also laughed and informed him about her cooking skills. "Apart from other common things I can make a good steak and ale pie and, believe it or not, I also manage to prepare a full English!"

"I do believe you, but please stop punching me!" They both withstood breaking out in laughter while they gave each other a playfully angry glare. "And today _I_ 'll be cooking for us. Do we build our headquarters here in the lounge room?"

Barbara nodded. She was glad he had changed the subject. They had shared the same B&B once in a while, and they also had shared a caravan and she had quite a few nice moments still stored in her memories, but they had never moved in together like this. She looked forward to it as well as she feared it. Her feelings for him had changed some time ago. They definitely had become deeper than they had been during that caravan stay.

Suddenly Barbara shook her head. There were things about work they had to talk through. She should not let her thoughts wander too far away from it.

* * *

"Come on, now let's see what's up there." After they had briefly discussed a few pros and cons of working here and not in the office Tommy picked up their bags again and if Barbara would not know better she would say that there was the hint of an indecent grin in his face. Of course they both knew what there was. The only question was, was it one or two rooms?

To Barbara's relief up the narrow staircase there were two bedrooms and one bathroom. They would not have to fight who should sleep on the sofa and the question who would have the slightly bigger bedroom was answered by Tommy bringing her bag in it. She did not object.

"Let's settle in and refresh."

* * *

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* * *

 **...**


	3. Settling In

**.**

 **Settling In  
**

 **.**

* * *

"Come in!" Barbara answered the knock at her door that had broke her reverie. After a call with Lafferty that had ended with a naughty but disturbingly appealing suggestion to not pester him but do something more pleasant with her boss she had been standing at the window. She already had put away her clothes, had sat on the bed for a minute and had revelled in the luxury of the ultra modern bathroom for a few more minutes.

In the back of the house where the window looked at there was a wild garden with old roses and two small vegetable patches. Unfortunately she could see that it obviously did not belong to this house. When she looked straight down the wall she only saw a small patio with a wooden floor, a table and two chairs. There was not even enough space to put a deck chair but after all they were here for work. She sighed without turning away her eyes. They could at least have dinner down there.

"Everything ok?" Tommy asked. She nodded and finally ripped her eyes from the beautiful view. Her boss only had popped his head through the door and gave her an encouraging smile. "Work had called. DCI Baker had asked us out for a late lunch to go through some details. Are you ready?"

"I could do with sitting in the sun but yes, let's start working."

"Have you called Lafferty already?"

"Nothing new. He sends his regards and asked me to tell you that he can't do miracles. We shall call him tomorrow around noon."

* * *

In the other village called Wychwood Market which was slightly bigger but very obviously the local market town they met with DCI Baker for lunch. It was a nice little restaurant with a neat beer garden so Barbara finally got her sun bath while they ate. She only had a salad with prawns which earned her a raised eyebrow from her boss. Her smug grin and the long eye contact conversation told him that she did not care for expenses as long as Baker was paying and that she looked forward to what he would cook for dinner tonight. The small wrinkles of amusement around his eyes deepened. He knew that despite the case he would be going to enjoy their stay.

Baker was oblivious to all of this or at least he did not mention anything. They had a bit of what seemed to be small talk but since they all were detectives they very well knew that the Met's officers were already starting to collect the first facts. After a briefing about the important villages and hamlets, its woods and certain gossip they learned a bit more about Superintendent Grover, the owner of the hut, and his family as well as everything Baker already knew concerning this hut. None of his colleagues hated Grover and nobody would speak any bad about him. Unfortunately everything looked rather perfect and it seemed that nothing was offering a cusp to tug at or a dip to dig in yet.

After lunch they accompanied Baker to the office where they fetched that new device Hillier's secretary had mentioned. On this occasion, the local officers were just preparing to leave for home, DI Lynley once more told them that he could understand that they all disliked this situation.

"You really have my sympathies." he said. "It's never an enjoyable thing when investigations or a crime is related to one of us and we're not able to help in any way. More so, when a distant CID takes over investigations. But I can assure you, it's unpleasant for both sides. We don't want to tell you how you should do your work. We're not here to judge or observe you. But Superintendent Grover had asked the Assistant Commissioner of the Met to send an unbiased team and they chose DS Havers and me. I hope you cooperate and give us your helping hands although we, for certain reasons I hope you'd understand, can't provide you with any information about our progress. I can only ask for your understanding. Thank you."

"And..." DCI Baker raised a hand to stop the team from leaving. "I am giving you the clear order to help with whatever they ask for. Believe me, I don't like it either that my hands are tied in this case. But, and that's important, these two are the leading detectives. Whatever rank you, or me, have - they are superiour this time. Oh, and one other thing: the local rag alredy asked if they could have an interview with Grover. But we're not talking to the press yet, is that understood?" He looked around with a serious expression. "We only could keep them at bay for a short while. Grover's name already was dropped and should not be mentioned soon again. Now, that's all, thank you. Those of you who aren't on duty, have a nice weekend. The other two: we'll meet tomorrow at ten."

* * *

"And now grocery shopping?" Tommy asked when they got into his car. They still needed things for dinner and breakfast so Barbara nodded.

It felt strange walking through the small but stuffed supermarket with her boss, buying things they would need for dinner and breakfast. They bickered about having a beer at the cottage or at the pub or not at all since they needed every brain cell at the moment, like he described it. Of course Tommy paid. "Expenses." was his explanation but Barbara suspected that this bill with shrimps, artichokes and an expensive white wine never would make its way into the files. She herself had put some dark Belgian chocolate into the basket. With some simple flan base, a bit of cream and canned strawberries she planned on making her favourite dessert.

It was as if they were on holidays.

Back at their cottage in Wychwood Mallow, while Tommy showered, Barbara violated the kitchen but when he returned with damp hair and in sweat pants and T-shirt she had cleared off every trace of chocolate. The dessert awaited its destruction in the fridge, well hidden from his eyes under tin foil.

"You don't mind me running around like this?" he innocently asked. She did not mind at all. She already had seen how the cloth of his pants strained above his backside in the most beautiful way. "I don't think we have to face the public tonight so..."

"As long as I'm allowed to go likewise I don't care. I hope you don't expect me to dress up for dinner."

"How could I." Then he hesitated lifting his hand. He nervously looked away from her eyes. "You... umm..."

Instead of wiping it away, what he dearly had wanted, he only pointed at a dark spot on her cheek.

"Oh, god, do I have chocolate in my face?" Barbara blushed and hurried upstairs.

"And don't come back to the kitchen before I tell you so!" Tommy called after her with a lot of amusement in his voice.

* * *

"I'm stuffed." Barbara groaned slumping back in her chair after dinner. "You're an excellent cook. Can I borrow you from time to time?"

"Whenever you wish, Barbara. But you have to promise me never to make this forbidden dessert again. It's bordering illegality."

"So bad?"

"So good!" He stroked his belly. "If I'd eat it regularly I think I gain more than I ever will be able to get rid of with my workouts."

After a few moments Barbara carefully asked if he had seen a dishwasher. "I'm too lazy to do the washing up myself."

"Stay seated. I'll have a look."

Fortunately there was one and so they only put the dishes away and pressed the button before they moved to the sofa where the modern electronical thingy still waited for them. They decided to check on it after they had penned down the results of the day in the usual manner. For that reason Lynley actually had brought a white board in the depth of his car boot.

In the shop they also had bought an OS map of the area which they carefully hung up at the wall. It covered the strange modern printing and Barbara was rather pleased not having to look at it anymore.

"It was disturbing." she mumbled.

"I'll take you to Tate Britain one day." Tommy chuckled. "Or St Ives when you do me the favour and come to Cornwall for my mother's birthd-"

"I told you I won't. You know I'm not into that noble class dressy-bitchy-sip-on-champagne-standing-around-thing."

Tommy broke into laughter and was rewarded with a scatter cushion thudded into his stomach. "No!" Barbara emphasised.

"You'd be the refreshing highlight of the party if you-mph..." Another cushion hit his face.

"Heads up, Sir! We have to work." She grinned nonetheless. In fact she was not entirely sure she would be able to stand his pleading eyes for long. In fact when she went shopping at M&S she already had started to look for something nice to wear at the occasion.

* * *

It took them not quite half an hour to fill the white board with names, lines and locations and mark the important places on the map. It also was not much they could write down on her laptop and it was annoying.

"I can't think of anything else we have. We can only hope that Stuart will be able to provide us with more."

"Hm." Lynley still watched the white board while his Sergeant obviously already had ended work. Barbara had opted for a beer and returned from the fridge with two glasses.

"All reason aside I want something enjoyable now." she informed him. "And we still have to unveil how that new electronical thingy of yours works."

"Thingy?" Tommy laughed. Although they had an early grumpy start into the day Barbara was acting in her best Havers way and he loved seeing her so easygoing. He would love to simply have a beer and watch TV with her, cuddling on the sofa. That would be nice. If only there was not this awful case. It would have become a nice holiday up here. They should return one day when this was over. He wondered if she would agree to an invitation.

"What?"

Tommy jerked. He had stared at her and had not really listened to her rambling about new inventions the Met always offered in the last minute leaving them alone with discovering how these devices work.

"Nothing. I'm just..." He actually blushed a bit when he grabbed the box that even was still welded in plastic foil. "Ah, nothing. Well, let's have a closer look. Hillier's secretary was talking about a _connector_."

"It's called Connex." Barbara read. "Sounds like... something... err... from _certain_ shops."

* * *

They laughed and chuckled and playfully accused each other of being tech wimps while they read the manual and switched it on trying it out for the first time but in fact it was not as difficult as they both had expected. After they had managed to connect their mobiles and her work laptop Tommy announced the first test. He typed something and clicked a bit here and there while Barbara brought their empty glasses back to the kitchen.

"Another one?" she asked over her shoulder.

"No, thanks. We should call it a day."

Barbara's mobile buzzed with an unfamiliar sound. Observed by him she opened the new message. It was a file sent from the HOLMES Connector.

 _Roses are red, violets are blue,_  
 _I am so tired, just like you!_  
 _Violets are blue, roses are red,_  
 _since we're so tired, let's go to bed! **  
**_

Barbara chuckled. There also was an attached picture. When she had managed to open the file it made her break into a loud laughter. Tommy had sent her a cute yawning baby sloth.

"Yep, that's right. It's late. We should go to bed."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	4. Day 2 - A New Team Member

**.**

 **Day 2 - A New Team Member  
**

 **.**

* * *

When Barbara woke up the other morning, definitely later than on Saturday, it was by the wonderful smell of bacon and coffee and the small unfamiliar but not unpleasant noises from someone bustling about in the kitchen. She found the door to her bedroom ajar and wondered if she had forgotten to close it or maybe Tommy had opened it to wake her up carefully. Not bothering to put on something decent she descended the stairs in her pyjamas after a brief detour through the bathroom where she had found his wet shaver and used shower towel. To her great relief he also was only in sweat pants and T-shirt again and not yet completely dressed. They may be investigating a murder but it still was a Sunday so they could allow themselves some sleaziness.

"Morn'..." she mumbled scuffling across the cold tiles towards the steaming coffee pot. Tommy already had filled it when he had heard her coming down the stairs.

"Good morning, Barbara!" He was pleased to see her and did not care if she approved of his good mood or not. He knew she would at least approve of his breakfast skills. Her face lit up when she sipped at the black brew he had made for her. "Did I wake you up?"

"Ah, umph..." Barbara moved to the dinner table with her mug. "Don't say you had not wanted to."

"I had. But not as abruptly as I did yesterday. Apparently it had worked."

* * *

After a healthy unhealthy full English breakfast DI Lynley called Dr Lafferty while Barbara went for a shower.

"Lafferty! Lynley here. Good morning."

 _"Morning Sir. Already up at that time of the day?"_

Lynley looked at his watch. It was almost eleven. "Stuart it's-"

 _"I was only joking, Lynley. I can understand that you've slept in, the two of you. I don't blame you. It's quite romantic over there."_

"Come to the point, Lafferty." Lynley grumbled at Stuart's insinuation. Nothing like that would happen. They were at work. And besides it would never happen at all. "Do you have any news for me?"

The pathologist informed him that the body definitely was female, probably European, approximately 5' 6'' tall. She had eaten something before she died but at first appearance it did not look as if it was the same stuff they had found in the pot on the stove. Her age was difficult to guess so he would not say anything yet. He had heard from SOCO that they had found a couple of fingerprints on the axe of the shed but no blood at its blade. At least not human blood.

Although Lafferty would not rule it out completely it also did not seem that the axe was the lethal weapon but there was a huge gap in the corpse's skull that derived from a similar thing and the wound definitely had been her fate. The state of the corpse's flesh, especially the parts inside that had not been burnt, indicated that she had not died in the fire, not even in the smoke, but she could have been alive when she was brought there. In her lungs he had found tiny pieces of plants that grew around the hut. Lafferty would have to examine it closer.

On the scene around the hut they also had found multiple foot and paw prints. SOCO already was working on a displaying map they would send later. They also had found hairs that were not only human. So far they had four different kinds of human hair, two different types of dog hair, that of a goat, some sheep wool and what seemed to be antelope.

"Antelope?" Lynley asked confused.

 _"Yes. So far we think it's that African deer. Maybe we can narrow it down. I doubt the results but Jonesy is sure that it's antelope and not a local roe deer."_

"That's interesting. And weird. Let's hope it will help. Did she wear any jewellery?"

 _"Nothing but tiny silver ear studs and a golden wedding band."_

"Oh, good. Well, umm... at least for us. Any engravings?"

 _"Unfortunately not even a date but it looks a bit as if it was filed out."_

"What a pity." Lynley clicked his tongue. "Then it also can be any simple ring. Or it's a hint. Anything else?"

 _"At the moment I'm preparing- ah, no, you would not want to know the details. You detectives always have a strange disgust for such things. Later I'll give you more. Something with her bones."_

"Good. Call me when you have results."

 _"Will do. Oh, and Lynley?"_

"Hm?"

 _"My best wishes to Barbie. Give her a kiss from me."_

Before Lynley was able to give him a proper reply Stuart had disconnected.

"Idiot!" Tommy mumbled.

"Lafferty?" Barbara's voice made him jerk. He had not heard her coming down the stairs, now fully dressed. "What did he say?"

"Ah... nothing." He tossed his mobile onto the table and started typing on the new device. "Well, apart from the news about the body. I think we can let Logan check the missing person reports."

* * *

Before they would drive to the suburb of Oxford to meet with Detective Superintendent Grover they stalled the inevitable interview and drove back to the crime scene one more time. They did not expect anything new but the firefighter's examinations and the SOCO's findings might become a bit clearer when they compared their results with reality. The grass outside had dried up as much as needed to cross it without sinking in so their Wellies stayed in the car this time.

With the Connex in front of them the detectives stood in the middle of the black ruin and looked around for a while matching the notes on the pad with the actual crime scene when suddenly Lynley saw a movement in the corner of his eye. When he looked there was nothing, but a few moments later he saw it again and this time only moved his eyes.

"Don't look, but the dog's returning." he whispered.

"Which dog?" Barbara asked perplexed.

"Sh! The one we've already seen here before. That stray dog. Over there, by the shed."

Barbara could not see it without turning. "What's he doing?"

"He sniffing around and watching us, trying to not appear to be interested in us. Let's pretend to ignore it for now."

* * *

They walked around so they could face the dog but it only made him disappear in the undergrowth so they turned their focus back to the details of the crime scene. It was not long before Lynley heard the crackle of a twig and the rustling of leaves from behind. Being raised in a household with a lot of dogs he knew the sound of a dog panting when it still was far away.

"Don't turn, Barbara!"

This time she answered whispering immediately. "Is it the dog again?"

"It's coming up the stairs to the veranda. Now I think he knows we know that he's approaching."

"Does he look scared?"

"A bit hesitant but he seems to be interested in us."

Ducking his head and with his tail between his legs the ball of ruffled, dirt-sprinkled fur slowly moved closer. Hesitantly he walked across the coal field of the hut and approached Barbara. She stood completely still. They watched him without moving any muscle until the dog stretched his neck to a maximum and his nose met her trousers. Carefully he started to sniffle at her and finally also came closer to Lynley.

"Hello, good boy." he quietly mumbled but the dog jerked and jumped away about one metre.

"Nah, you furry thing. Don't be shy. Hmmm?" Barbara purred and it made him return. He sat down next to her and attentively watched her. He did not look dangerous and his head only was a bit higher than her knees so she patted him without fear.

"He likes you." Lynley grinned but as much as he loved seeing his Sergeant making friends with the dog he also was a detective and the dog could be another witness. "Try to get a hair sample."

Barbara stroked the curly fur and of course got some hairs stuck at her fingers. Closely observed by the animal who waited for more caresses she put them into an evidence bag. Since the dog had no collar there was nothing further to examine. The detectives continued with their work and eventually only stood there letting the atmosphere sink in. The wood around them was distinctively louder today. After the big fire and the following shocked silence it sounded as if the trees and birds had returned to normal life.

* * *

A quizzical look and a nod indicated that there was nothing left to do here and so the detectives turned towards the car. As if he wanted to come with them the dog got up and followed, with a bit of distance but with a wagging tail.

Barbara opened the car door. "Should we send someone to collect him?" she asked.

"Yes, I think we-"

"Oops!"

A classic car with expensive leather seats was nothing of importance for dogs in general. It was just a car and driving could be fun so this dog simply had walked past Barbara's legs and jumped onto the passenger seat.

"It looks as if he's coming with us." Tommy could not be angry with a dog, least of all with a dog as cute as this one was. Knowing full well that he should not sit there he gave Tommy the best puppy eyes from under his long fringe. Tommy groaned but smiled. He knew when he had lost the battle.

"Well, you curly thing!" Barbara addressed the dog. "I don't believe the Earl would let you sit there. Chop! Into the back with you."

To their surprise he immediately obeyed and squeezed himself through the gap between the seats thus wiping a few twigs and moss from his fur. Barbara laughed when Tommy groaned again.

"What? I always thought you were a dog person." she teased him. "So it should be no problem having him in your car..."

"Yes, in a Landrover! But not in the Bristol!" They climbed in and left the clearing. "You know, I don't go to the opera in Wellies and I never would walk the coast in dinner jacket. It's something similar with my cars and that doggy here."

Barbara still laughed. Hearing her like this made Tommy happy. Smiling he steered the car towards the main road. Later he would have to exchange his classic car for a Landrover ATV from the local CID's car pool, especially when they would be taking doggy with them all the time. They should better find a place for him, he agreed with Barbara.

* * *

Now with doggy at their side there had to be a change of plans. Before they would interview Grover they would have to find someone who would care for it. Seeing that it had been around every time they went to the hut they both agreed that perhaps it might be related to the case. The local police office was their first choice to look for someone. Fortunately Lynley always drove with a rope in his car boot so they had some sort of leash for the dog when they entered the building. On the way there they had bought a can of dog food in the co-op and watched him eating hastily as if he had not had anything for quite a while. Then they told the officers on duty about the dilemma with the possible furry witness but PC Miller said he unluckily was allergic to dog's hair and DC Smith's wife did not like dogs.

"She's phobic. Sorry. But I could do a bit of ringing around, see if the colleagues...?"

"That would be nice, thank you." DI Lynley answered, constantly looking at Barbara sitting on a chair, having a coffee and absentminded patting the dog's head which laid on her thigh. "And please check if he's missed by someone."

Smith made the calls but none of his colleagues and friends wanted to take care of a dog. There was another allergic, one had two little baby girls, one simply did not like dogs and one lived in a small cottage with no room for another creature. Only Parker, the last person on his list, was delighted. He already had a dog of that size and thought it would be great to extend the pack. He agreed on meeting DI Lynley and DS Havers at his house in the other hamlet in about half an hour.

When they arrived and got out of their new more suitable car the door opened. A brawny man who had waited for them behind the curtains appeared with a dog at his side. It wagged its tail until he caught the sight of Barbara's new darling. The flews went up and he started to quietly growl. The new dog sensed he was not really welcome here and hid behind Barbara's legs.

"Looks as if this is no good idea." Parker said nudging his own angry dog back into the house. "I'm sorry, Sir."

"Well, we can't force it." Lynley answered with a shrug. Barbara already was retreating into the car. "Thanks anyway."

* * *

"I suppose we have to keep him for now." Barbara said with a grin.

"Do you mind?"

"Not really. Actually I've already come to like him."

"I thought as much." Tommy gave her a loving smile. "We'll have to go shopping again, or so it seems."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	5. First Interviews

**.**

 **First Interviews  
**

 **.**

* * *

But first they had to pay a visit to the Superintendent in his house in a suburb of Oxford. In his position he was responsible for an entire area with only small villages and hamlets and had his office in the same building where the CID Oxford was in. Since it was Sunday he was of course at home. And what a home that was.

"Rather impressive." Lynley stated when he locked the car doors.

Passing a huge red SUV that provoked a raised eyebrow from her answered by a knowing grin from him, DI Lynley and DS Havers went up a small cobbled path leading to the door of Grover's house. Barbara held the substitute leash with the dog as if it was nothing unusual for her and when she told him to sit while Lynley rang the doorbell the dog sat.

Lynley gave her an approving nod with the head.

* * *

The door opened and blighted all tender thoughts. "Ah, you must be Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers." a man in his late fifties said. "Come on in then, I've already expected you."

"Sir, do you mind if we bring the dog?" Lynley asked. "There was no other place we've-"

"Oh, of course, yes, yes, bring him in. You can't let him sit out there, could you?" Grover smiled and even asked Barbara to release him from his leash. "He seems to be well trained. Such a nice dog you have, Sergeant. Oh, and please excuse the mess. I've just wanted to renovate the bathrooms and the corridor when the message of the body came in. This way please."

There were thin plastic foils covering naked floorboards. The carpets were removed as was the furniture. In the kitchen there stood a low drawer cabinet with a bucket full of bubbly water next to it. Yellow rubber gloves laid on the cabinet. All could be seen through the open kitchen door. SI Grover probably was just disturbed cleaning the old furniture.

Being led into the lounge the detectives decided with a look and an almost invisible shake of the heads towards each other that they at least for now should not tell him that it was not exactly hers but the way the dog reacted to Grover ruffling his hair and the way he curiously but cautiously sniffed around in the lounge room made it obvious that the SI and the dog were strangers. It was one thing they could wipe from their list. Barbara decided to tell where they had found him.

"It could be one first lead. Or just an unimportant coincidence." The dog walking through the room gave Barbara the chance to follow him with her eyes and have a secret look around. There were porcellain dolls sitting here and there and at the wall was a spear and an African warrior shield made of leather. A small simple battle axe, almost ready to hand, hung there on raw wooden pegs knocked into the white wall. It looked rather strange in the otherwise very normal and somehow aged living room.

She also saw the antlers of an African deer. 'Surely antelope.' she thought and drew her attention to what was exchanged between Lynley and Grover. This was nothing she really could help with. Apart from his polite behaviour he still was a Superintendent and so the higher rank should talk with him about the hut and the case. Lynley also had seen all the things she had seen and ingeniously interweaved it with the conversation.

* * *

As it had been with Baker they all knew that this was not a real small talk. Grover openly talked about the hut and how many relaxing weekends he had spent there with his wife. It had been rather quiet there and the wood and the fields in the area offered quite some nice and easy walks. Of course nowadays they had not been there as often as they once had been there when they were younger. With all the work that was his job as a Detective Superintendent there was not often time to pay a visit. And especially after Mrs Grover had had her hip surgery following an accident they had refrained from going. She had become rather immobile and he had not enjoyed going there on his own.

"The hut was locked and slowly growing old like we did." he sighed. Lynley made a mental note to check on Grover's personal data later. "But her little Margie, that's one of her dolls, always had kept an eye on it. Sandra said that as long as the doll is there she knew she would return one day. Sandra collects antique porcellain dolls like those you could see around here."

"Where is she at the moment?"

"In Spain. Rehab. You know, bathing in the sun, doing some physiotherapy, such things." Grover's eyes became dreamy. "Ah, such a shame I wasn't able to accompany her. Work. Recently we've had a series of burglary in the area. But I would have loved to accompany her there."

"It's nice to see you still so much in love." Barbara gently said. "How long have you been married?"

"For 28 years." Grover smiled when he looked at Barbara. Then he followed her eyes that were focussing on his hands folded in his lap. His skin was tanned from all the garden work but a band of white skin could be seen on his ring finger. "It's safely put away in my bedroom, Sergeant. Because I don't want to ruin it while I do that renovation work."

Nodding Barbara blushed. She had searched her brain how she could ask without offending the Superintendent.

* * *

To her great relief Lynley rescued her. "Did you also go hunting in the woods there?"

"Sometimes yes. But not recently. Do you want to see my rifle?"

"No. Well, not now."

"Good. Because it's in the safe in my office. But I do understand if you have to see it later during your interrogations."

"Did _you_ shoot the deer?" Lynley pointed his chin towards the African decorated wall.

"Yes." His eyes lit up. "We've been in South Africa for our honeymoon. But it was only one safari we've attended. Umm... I haven't looked when I was at the scene, but... We've had a picture with me, my wife and a stunning sunset. It was hanging at the chimney. Is there any chance...? Oh, I see. What a pity."

Barbara's face had turned into a sympathetic but apologising sad smile. Grover understood that there was no chance at all to get it back. He deeply sighed and to overplay his disappointment he raved about the wonderful landscape where they had been in Africa. Before the chat returned to the case Lynley and Grover talked for a while about hunting and weapons and especially what sort of weapons Grover had hanging at his wall. They also learned that he never had lent the hut or rented it out and there was only one key.

"Safely stored in the fuse box in the hall." he said and went to get it. "The last time we've been there together was about one and a half year ago and one year ago I've put everything in order to stay away from the hut for a long time. I've put it in its winter sleep, so to say." he jovially explained.

"Do you want to sell it?"

"We've thought about it but had not yet made further plans. We both loved it too much."

"I see."

* * *

DI Lynley paused. What he would have to ask never was easy when you would not want to offend the other. Especially when you still think the other was guiltless. "Umm, I'm sorry I have to ask, Sir, but you know what it's like..."

Grover knew what the detectives had to ask and so he only nodded.

"Where have you been in the night from Thursday to Friday, let's say, in the time between 8 pm and 8 am?"

"I'm a copper just like you are, Lynley." Grover still was calm. Barbara thought he might perhaps stall some time to make up an alibi. "Well, I came home rather late that day, had a sandwich while watching one of these stupid soap operas - don't ask me which one it was - and then I watched the short news. I called Sandra like I do every evening and we chatted for about ten, fifteen minutes. She told me about a day trip she had made and so I checked on the pictures she had posted on facebook. Being already at my computer I also did some work before I headed back to the TV to watch the BBC ten o'clock news. Then I went to bed and got up at six in the morning to go to work at seven."

They exchanged a grim smile. All three knew it was work. All three also knew what the others probably were thinking. And all three knew that there was no witness for the time between half past eleven and seven thirty.

* * *

They had talked for an hour. Grover had offered cookies and coffee and a bowl of water for the dog. Most of the time it had dozed at Barbara's feet. When they finally left the Superintendent it was a wonderful sight seeing the pure joy in the furry energy ball. Laughing Barbara let herself be dragged across the way towards the kerb where the car was parked. Her own muscles could do with a bit of exercises after sitting still for so long. She had not inserted much while the men talked.

A woman with her wheeled walker had stopped when the dog passed her.

"What a cute dog you are." she chirped and caressed his head. Then she looked up smiling at the detectives. "Good afternoon."

"Ma'am." Lynley greeted her. In the woman's eyes Barbara could see that she was about to give in to her talkative mood. Maybe she could tell them a bit about the Superintendent and his wife. A short look between her and Lynley and it was settled they would let the woman talk if she wanted to. She obviously wanted.

"Is that yours, Ma'am?"

Barbara nodded and exchanged a grin with her boss. "Sort of."

"Ah, I used to have one when I was younger." the old lady sighed. "But it wouldn't be good for another young ball of fur to live with an old woman like me. But my Bobby used to play a lot with Mrs Grover's Tippie. Ah, those were the days, I tell you. Nice couple, the Grovers. Nice couple. He sometimes mowes my front garden. You know, I let the back garden grow a bit wild. Many birds and bees and beautiful flowers. I can see them from my room. Are you friends of Mr Grover?"

"We're colleagues."

"Ah, yes, yes. Coppers, hm?" the old lady winked. "I hope you're not working on such a beautiful Sunday."

"We've just had a chat with the Superintendent." Barbara vaguely said.

"Well, well. He's a really nice man. Mowes my front garden from time to time, so it would not look too wild, not like my back garden. You know, this is a nice neighbourhood. Mrs Grover is the president of our neighbourhood club, did you know that? She's organising wonderful parties for us old ones around here. But she's in Italy at the moment. Or was it Spain? Ah, I forgot. Mr Grover had told me but I might mix it up with something else. The blessings of old age - bad bones and bad brain." She sighed again. For a while she kept on telling Lynley and Havers about the weather, the neighbourhood and the Grovers but when she told them for the fourth time that Mr Grover was a nice man who mowed her front garden from time to time they politely ended the conversation.

"We've slowed you down more than long enough, Ma'am." Lynley said.

"I've already been slow, Sir." the old lady snickered but nodded. "Have a nice day, you two. And give my regards the next time you'll meet with Mr Grover. Have a nice day."

"It was nice to meet you. Have a wonderful afternoon yourself, Ma'am."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	6. Nicer Duties

**.**

 **Nicer Duties  
**

 **.**

* * *

"In Spain? Really? Is she? Or maybe Italy? Or gone forever?" Barbara asked out of the blue. They were on their way back to the cottage and she had processed the conversation from earlier. Now she voiced her observations that the antlers had been hanging there not entirely balanced. "And what about the axe? Or the fur on the opposite walls? It looked quite ruffled."

Lynley was just stopping and going in the traffic towards a roundabout. "You're not really thinking he had murdered her, are you?" he asked keeping his eyes on the road.

"In all objectivity it _is_ possible." she slowly answered then fully looked at him. "Or were you about to say that a Detective Superintendent wouldn't _be able_ to commit a crime?"

"Well..."

"Closing of ranks, huh? Gongs and titles..." Tommy still had his eyes on the street and could not see that she was only teasing him and so he frowned. Barbara was not impressed. "I thought we were beyond that..."

"Ah, bollocks, Barbara. You know I'm not-" Her chuckle made him stop talking and finally look at her but before he realised she laughed about him he saw the signs of a supermarket. "Oh, look, there's a superstore. We'll go grocery shopping. We still need something for our doggy here."

"That's changing the subject, Sir."

"Let's call Lafferty. Maybe he could say how old the dead woman was. It could rule Mrs Grover out. And you could ring Nkata to check on Grover's personal data."

Barbara nodded and typed a text into her mobile. "I'm only texting. Just in case. He had dated his girl again last night." she explained. "I would not want to interrupt anything."

"It's already Sunday afternoon!" Lynley chuckled.

* * *

He parked the car and dialled. "Lafferty? Hello. Could you already say how old the woman was? Stop laughing, thank you."

 _"I'd say she was between... hm... 45 to 55."_

Lynley groaned. "Couldn't you be more precise?"

 _"Well, minimum 43, maximum 59."_

"That's not funny, Lafferty."

 _"I know, Sir. The burnt heap of flesh wasn't funny either."_

"Yes, sorry, I understand. Difficult to guess. And maybe you already know when she died?"

 _"Shortly before she was cremated. I've found no signs of decay but that was similarly difficult as my age-guess. I'd say not longer than 15 hours before the fire. Could be less, could be more. Sorry I can't tell it more precisely at the moment."_

"You've done a great job, Stuart. I appreciate that. Will you please send your new time information to Logan? He's busy with the missing person reports. Thank you."

He disconnected and turned towards Barbara who had the head of a wild haired dog Lying on her shoulder. Tommy grinned. She looked cute and not at all disturbed in her thoughts. She was relaxed and he had not seen her face being so soft for quite some time now. Before he addressed her Tommy had to clear his throat. Inwardly he was angry with himself. Not quite two days gone and he already started to forget that they were here because of a murder. "Lafferty said the woman was not less than 43 and maximum 59 years old. Grover's wife must be... what do you think? In her late fifties?"

"Something like that." Barbara nodded and started to curl the dog's beard around her finger. DI Lynley had to look away or he would immediately start to let his hair grow from now on just so Barbara could bury her fingers in his beard. "Ah, bother! I would not want to call for SOCO to check if there was the victim's blood on the battle axe at Grover's lounge room wall." Barbara chewed on the inner side of her cheek.

"That would offend him deeply if he's innocent. Let's collect a few facts first about him and maybe all possibly related people and our colleagues. I really don't want to _ask_ for a proof that his wife's in Spain. Maybe we can wipe that off the list differently."

"I could be the untrusting officer if it helps."

"I'd like to spare you that." He got out of the car. "Anyway, let's buy some dog food first."

* * *

They tied the dog's unusual leash to a ring in the wall and entered the store. Since it was Sunday there were not many customers and as if it was normal thing for them to go grocery shopping together Barbara and Tommy casually strolled through all the aisles deciding what they should eat today and the next week. At the moment it did not look as if they would solve this case soon so they had to be prepared for a few more days in the cottage. Slowly the trolley was filled with frozen pizza, eggs, flour, minced meat, milk, pasta, sauce, a few vegetables and some treats that would not appear on any expenses bill for the Met. A bottle of champagne also went into it.

"One should always have at least one bottle of this in the fridge." Tommy grinned in reply to Barbara's raised eyebrows, something that _he_ usually did, and earned a pair of rolling eyes. She snickered nonetheless and added a bag of cheap crisps to it. The filet of lamb would not appear in the expenses file either. Only the green beans were nothing to hide as well as the frozen chips Barbara insisted on.

Then they reached the animal stuff aisle. They needed all the basics like a proper leash and a collar, a blanket for him to sleep on, a water and a food bowl, a few treats, a brush, and of course food. Not being familiar with caring for a dog this was nothing she was able to help with so while Tommy studied the ingredients list on the food packages Barbara walked around and discovered the toys. A rope end with knots would be nice, she thought, and something to throw. In the end she also had found a cuddly stuffed rabbit he could love to death. And something else that made her laugh.

Quietly she returned to Tommy who seemed still not completely convinced which food he should choose.

"Ah!" he cried out and jumped. From behind he suddenly had heard a strange grunting noise close to his ears. It was followed by Barbara bursting into a boisterous laugh. She even was unable to keep hold onto the ridiculous rosy rubber pig she had found among the toys. Seeing her laughing so carefree Tommy's angry face quickly turned into an amused but still unbelieving grin. He made a few grunting fake attacks towards Barbara but then watched the toy with a pensive expression.

"We'll definitely only give this as a treat and keep it hidden all the other times. It will freak us out when he suddenly plays with it in the middle of the night."

* * *

At the checkout counter they paid two bills again: the official one and the one Tommy would keep secret.

"We'll share that." Barbara offered.

"No. You're my guest." Tommy replied smiling. She only was able to inhale. A finger on her lips silenced every objection. Her voice would have failed her anyway, as nervous as the touch had made her. Confused she stared into his back while he paid. This way she could not see his own face blushing.

Fortunately she had not too much time to think about the incident. Coming from the store she saw the dog. He had observed the entrance and waited for them to return. By the sight of the two the dog got up and wagged his tail as if he originally had expected them to leave him behind forever. Barbara's heart made a funny leap. Every single curl of the dog's still slightly filthy fur seemed to shake in his joy.

"He looks so cute!" she sighed.

"Cute?" Tommy chuckled. "With all this frizzly hair of his?"

"Frizzles!" Barbara suddenly exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"Frizzles. His name is Frizzles."

"You're not serious, are you?"

"Well, _you_ 've named him." Barbara snickered. She had left the trolley for Tommy to take care of and reached the dog who almost jumped at her. She ruffled his head and he seemed to really enjoy it. He gave away little yelping sounds. "Well, how do you like it, Frizzles, hm? Yeeees, such a good boy you are!"

Tommy was delighted. In fact his heart dwelled and almost burst his chest seeing Barbara so cuddly with Frizzles. She should get herself a dog one day. He sighed. And Howenstow would be a good home for them. He swallowed and put his anger about his own stupid thoughts into pushing the trolley towards his car.

With his new collar, a blazing blue one that was a nice contrast to his light brown curls, Frizzles walked at Barbara's side with a proudly raised head. He also was carrying the soft rabbit between his jaws as if it was something precious that should not be hurt. He did not pull at the leash and he sat at the edge of the road when told. Although nobody seemed to miss him yet he must have had a wise teacher. Frizzles was surprisingly well trained.

After Barbara had pulled a few more little twigs from Frizzles hair he even did not look as stray as when they first had met. "He definitely was hers." DI Lynley loudly thought. "He adores you. I'd even say he avoids _me_. And he definitely wasn't in the woods alone for long."

"We should keep that fact in mind." Barbara nodded. "He could have been hers."

* * *

Back at the cottage in Wychwood Mallow they let the dog sniff his way through the ground floor on his own while they put away their groceries.

"Do you think they allow dogs in here?" Barbara asked.

"Well, I don't care." Tommy answered and laughed at the disbelieving expression Barbara gave him, who had appeared from behind the fridge door only to give him that look. "And actually I would not want to live anywhere where dogs are not allowed."

He gave her another bottle of milk to store away in the fridge. "Hm." she said. "How do we cope with our new family member?"

Before she had thought of her words she had said them and it made her blush when she realised their meanings.

"Well, Mum and Dad alternate going walkies, in the morning and in the evening. During the day he's with us anyway and in the night he sleeps in the corridor upstairs."

"Oh, poor Frizzles." Hearing Barbara saying his name and sensing they were talking about him Frizzles appeared in the kitchen and asked for attention. Tommy knelt down.

"No sofa, no bed, is that understood, young man?" he asked roughly cuddling the dog and carefully avoiding Frizzle's wet kisses.

Barbara bit her lip and turned away, otherwise she would have sighed loudly or ruffled through Tommy's mop of hair or maybe even both. Disguising her cravings with a harrumph she put some more order to the things in the already neatly filled fridge. When this case was over and they were back in London she definitely would need to consult a psychologist who would have the difficult task to hammer these inappropriate feelings back out of her silly brain.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	7. Facebook

**.**

 **Facebook**

 **.**

* * *

After they made a sniffling tour through the first floor rooms and placing his blanket in the corridor at the wall between their bedrooms it was time for tea and scones. Apparently reading his notes Tommy watched Barbara preparing it. With their steaming mugs they went to the living area. Apart from the fun with the dog and all the other little wonderful things that made them feel like being on a holiday they actually had a case to solve.

"What do we have so far?" DI Lynley asked and bit a huge chunk from the ready made scone they had bought earlier.

DS Havers scoffed hers completely and did not bother to sound muffled when she said what she wrote on the white board.

"Hut burmed Furfday to Fwiday..." She swallowed half of the scone down before she wrote on. "...corpse found on Friday afternoon. Female. Five feet six. And.. what? Between 43 and 60?"

"Why don't you do that on the Connex?" Lynley asked winking amused and ignoring her question.

"Pah." Barbara shook her head. "Too small. Nice to have, good for exchanging news and carrying it around, but there's nothing better than a big board that you don't even have to switch on before you see all of it with one look."

"Well then..." he nodded and let her scribble on at the white board. "She probably was married."

"Oh. Yes." The news caused Barbara to hesitate.

"Lafferty had found a ring that looked like a wedding band. But if there had been an engraving it was filed out."

"Maybe a bad marriage." Barbara turned her back on Lynley and focussed on the board. "Or just a simple ring."

 _cause of death: prbly axe (not axe fr shed) - time: Thu ~noon - loc: outside (drag traces)_  
 _ _hut owner:_ SI Grover, alibi (weak), former hunter, Afr. battle axe, renovation (?) - wife in Spain (? or Italy?)  
said: not at the hut for 1 yr  
both best of reputation in nbrhd  
_

Barbara turned around. "Do we have details about the tyre tracks? Or footprints?"

"Tyre tracks... hmm..." Lynley scrolled through the notes and held the Connex up so she could see the pictures. "They're mostly old and useless or only small. I'd say..." He put his eyes closer to the screen but then decided on putting on his reading glasses. "Yes, the tracks are from 185ers."

* * *

When he looked up he saw Barbara smiling at him. She always relished the sight of Tommy with his glasses.

"What?" He asked irritated but mirrored her smile.

She blushed and set her focus back at the white wall. "That oversized car in his driveway had at least 10 inches."

"I'd say it had 225er tyres."

"If you say so. They're most certainly not responsible for those tracks near the hut."

 _car: SUV  
tyres/hut: small  
_

"So I can cross that out already. What else...?"

 _stray dog, obv not long alone, not yet missed, not Grover's_  
 _shed: axe (no human blood) - hair: antelope - dog - goat - humans_

"And sheep wool!" Lynley added.

 _\- wool -_  
 _hut: 1 key - strike plate damaged (break-in?) - food (victim's dinner?) - spiral - canister - picture_

DS Havers crossed out the word 'picture'. She critically checked her work and added another connecting line between _SI Grover_ and the _antelope_. She wrote a questionmark at it.

"Did Winston sent us some personal things?"

Lynley checked the Connex again. "Here's a short file: age 59, his wife is 53. Then... umm... his career... obviously flawless. Winston also has checked his bank account. There were no salient transactions lately. Oh!"

"Hm?"

"No wonder his house rates are done completely and the car is paid all at once - what a nice income!" He whistled.

"Please don't tell me." Barbara sighed.

* * *

Tommy looked up with a grin. "Well, you could raise your payment too if you'd finally make your-"

"I won't. Not unless you are becoming DCI, Sir." Barbara glared at him. "Anything else?"

"Not really. One daughter, lives in Scotland, had become a solicitor. And a son who's a park ranger in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Obviously shares Grover's like for nature. Nkata made a note that he is trying to find out more about the kids."

"Okay. Any news from Logan?"

"No missing persons in the area and... no, also none in a wider range. He's not sent data from the whole country yet."

"Missing person reports: nothing." she mumbled while writing it down on the board and took a sip from her tea. Her attention went to the map and they started to discuss how easy or how unlikely it was for SI Grover to burn the hut on his own. For the moment the Superintendent was their only link. Apart from Frizzles of course.

"Ah, well. Not now but tomorrow we'll have to ask Lafferty if the corpse had a damaged hip." Barbara groaned and slumped down on the sofa. Frizzles looked at her and begged to be allowed next to her to be cuddled. Absentminded she gave in and patted the seat next to her.

"Did we not agree on not letting him?" Tommy asked but was not really angry. How could he, seeing the dog and Barbara in such a comfortable union.

"Huh?" She looked up.

"Frizzles. On the sofa."

"Ah, spoilsport." Barbara mumbled. She made no attempt of pushing Frizzles from her lap. The dog looked at Tommy with the sweetest eyes ever and he had not the heart to disturb their closeness.

* * *

"Do you have a facebook account?" he asked instead.

"Of course. Who hasn't? Why?"

"Why don't you check on Sandra Grover?"

"Mh. Yes, I could." Across the relaxed dog's head Barbara opened her laptop. "Let's hope it's her name there and she isn't hiding her timeline."

"So, I presume you're not a Barbara Havers at facebook?"

She reddened. "Well..."

Tommy understood it as a confirmation. "That's why I haven't found you."

Barbara looked up in surprise. "You've checked?"

Now it was Tommy's turn to blush. "I... I was curious. Do you mind?"

"No, not really. But you wouldn't have found anything at all. I rarely post pictures or stuff what I do. I'm only there to chat with a few people from all over the world."

"Police officers?"

"No." She hesitated. "Writers."

"You write?" he was rather astounded.

"Of course not, Sir. I only read their works." That was a lie but he would not need to know the truth about how much she actually wrote there. 122 short and not so short stories about Dr Who and his companions were not just a few.

"Any specific topic?"

"Are we a bit nosy?"

"I am. Sorry. It's none of my business."

"My name on facebook is Clara Oswald."

"Isn't that a character from Dr Who?"

"It's silly, I know. I'm quirky." Then she groaned and leaned back. "More than fifty Sandra Grovers."

"It's not silly, Barbara. It's something you like and it's not... well, not _too_ quirky." He smiled at her. "And it's definitely not as boring as my account where I only post things from the Asherton Horse Business. I'm Thomas Lynley on facebook."

"I know." Barbara blushed and avoided Tommy's eyes. She checked on him regularly but she never had dared to make friends with him. "With your title in brackets."

* * *

"So you've also checked on me?" He sat next to her and gave in to Frizzle's prodding nose. Slowly he fondled him behind his ears.

"Sure." Without success Barbara tried to sound casual. "You've also posted a few family pictures."

"And food." He laughed. "Sometimes I'm too proud of my own cooking skills."

"Well, that legendary burnt risotto hadn't been very skilful." she laughed. It had been two years ago when he had posted it.

Tommy was rather surprised for how long Barbara obviously had spied on his facebook profile. That particular evening he had invited his sister but while the risotto was boiling he had argued with his Sergeant at the phone. Over the call he completely had forgotten that there had been a task in the kitchen. Never before had he been so glad that he had a fire distinguisher there.

"I've had a conversation with a certain woman at the phone who was telling me how stupid I was to not invite my brother as well."

"Oh." Barbara gave him a mischievous grin. "So you blame _me_?"

"Never would I. You've been right to dress me down like this. I should have- sorry!"

"Sorry!"

Both apologised simultaneously and quickly withdrew their hands from Frizzle's shoulders. Accidentally Tommy had stroked her right hand instead of the fur. Her skin had felt soft and warm and he would have loved to touch her again. She obviously would not approve, he thought, but he did not recognise the pleasant goosepimples at her right arm. His touch had excited her tremendously. For a second it had been as if his hand on hers was a usual thing between them but when she saw how quickly he had drawn it back it only left disappointment.

"I should filter the search." Barbara croaked and gently pushed the dog from her lap. "And then check on all Sandra Grovers who are left."

* * *

There was no way he could help with her internet research so Tommy turned on the TV to watch some documentary about Madagascar's unique animals until Barbara cried out in triumph. She grabbed the remote control and muted the TV sound ignoring his weak protest.

"Here she is. Sandra Grover, worked at Exeter College, Oxford. Last status: excited here:... Umm..." She gave up quickly. "Ah, I can't spell that. Spain. She's posted her pictures publicly."

"So, we'd say she's alive. That's one good thing." Lynley nodded.

"Yes." Barbara groaned. "But the bad thing is that we're almost where we've started."

"Well, tomorrow is another day. Let's just stop here."

Frizzles wagged his tail seeing them getting up from the sofa. He climbed up the stairs right behind them and went to his blanket. Tommy hugged Barbara's shoulders before she left for her room.

"Sleep well, Barbara."

She gave him a warm smile. "Good night, Sir."

He did not even try to hide his annoyed sigh but before he could ask her to call him by his name she had closed the door behind herself so Tommy only shook his head and ruffled Frizzles' hair. "One day she will." he whispered and left the dog alone.

A bit later, Tommy was still just staring at the dark ceiling, he heard Barbara's door open again. He was sure she had let Frizzles into her bedroom.

Smiling he fell asleep.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	8. Day 3 - A Brilliant Idea

**.**

 **Day 3 - A Brilliant Idea  
**

 **.**

* * *

On Monday morning DI Lynley and DS Havers went to the local office in Wychwood Market to get more information about the missing reports or if there was any CCTV camera in the area around the hut which could be helpful. There obviously was none. This area of Wychwood was so rural that only the banks' buildings with their holes in the wall were surveilled. PC Miller told them with the conviction in his voice that it surely was not needed here as much as it was in the big city of London.

Lynley groaned and got up from his chair. "Will you please excuse me, Barbara? I'll go walking the dog."

In the moment he left the building through the back door towards a field Stuart Lafferty entered it from the front.

"Suart!" Barbara was happy to see him. "How are you?"

"Good. How are you? Where's your prince? I have some results for you. And the official PM. Although I'm still waiting for something and the preparation I've started didn't go as quick as I've wanted. You'll find a few gaps in my report" Then he bent down to the Seargeant and whispered. "I should have gone to Oxford with the corpse. They're not overly equipped here, if I may say so."

The pathologist not only brought the PM but also could tell Barbara that the meal in the pot _definitely_ was not what the woman had had before she died but the dog's hair they had found matched Frizzles' fur and what was thought to be antelope was in actual fact only local deer.

"Jonesy is a stupid bloke who should start being more accurate at work, I tell you. But then again it maybe was just the pre-war stuff they have here. Oh, and the deer hairs are genetically identical with the blood we've found on the axe's blade."

"Perhaps someone had gralloched Bambi there?"

"That's your work to find out." Lafferty winked. "That is, of course, if you find the time." His face was nothing but a juicy grin.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a bit like a holiday around here, isn't it?" There still was a nasty smirk on Stuart's face.

"Not as much as I want it." Barbara sighed.

"Well, well, you certainly look a bit tired, Barb. How's it going then, with you and Tommy?"

Her eyes narrowed. "With _Tommy_?"

Stuart laughed. "You know, living together, just the two of you in that cosy cottage, sharing-"

"Stu!" Angrily she cut him short. "Stop it! Whatever you were about to say - just don't!"

"What? Am I not right? You-"

Barbara came really close to him and looked him deep into his eyes. If he would have had a tie around his neck she would have pulled him down to her. There was a certain sharpness in her hissed words and Lafferty did not miss it. "You will stop talking like that, Stu, or I'll forget myself. There's nothing, I repeat _nothing_ like what your naughty brain thinks is going on between Tom- " She cleared her throat. "...between the DI and me, is that understood? And I don't like to hear any more of your bloody insinuations. I'm _so_ fed up with it."

* * *

Stuart Lafferty suddenly realised that he had hit the mark with his continued teasing. Barbara seemed to harbour deeper feelings for Lynley than he had thought and obviously she believed that her boss never would be able to share them. Not to mention the trouble they would be in if it came to light. Most of all though, it seemed that Barbara was hurt. Not by him. She seemed hurt and convinced that Lynley did not see her like she saw him. Which was not at all true and obvious for everyone in their team at the Met. Fortunately here nobody seemed to suspect anything.

In a sudden outbreak of sympathy Lafferty pulled her into an embrace. Barbara was too surprised to fend it off so he was able to whisper into her ear. "I'm sorry, Barb."

The way he had said it had made it clear that he had understood the tragic truth behind her words. Barbara cleared her throat and gave him a lopsided smile.

"And now get back to work, Stu."

"Yes, Ma'am. See you later, darling!"

Barbara almost threw a stapler into his back.

* * *

They did not get anywhere with the new findings. Nothing led them further on, not the food, nor the dog, nor the Superintendent or his wife. Nobody had seen anything suspicious around the hut, not even the usual juvenile loiterers they had canvassed together with DS Smith during the rest of Monday afternoon. Most of the local residents were not at home so after they had interviewed only a few of them they also had pinned a quickly written leaflet at the public black board of the nearest hamlet to the hut called Wychwood Pines and hoped that there would be someone who had seen something and who would finally call them and tell. It was a weak straw they were clutching at but it was the only one.

* * *

In the early evening Barbara and Tommy walked the dog together and enjoyed a nice breeze a bit further out of the village. Staying silent they let the sunny weather and the rural sounds of birds and sheep do their good soothing work on their bad mood. In an empty paddock where the public footpath went across they played fetch the stick and Tommy even wrestled with Frizzles in the grass until they both were worn out so they turned to walk back home. Eventually Tommy put his arm around Barbara's shoulder. It felt natural to walk like this and she did not at all think of this gesture as misplaced. Frizzles went on the leash of course because they could not risk to lose him again.

For strangers it surely looked as if there was a couple walking down the footpath but when a tractor drove past them and Tommy recognised it was PC Miller waving a hello from the passenger seat he quickly ended the close contact. Barbara was disappointed. She was sure her boss would not want any other to see that he was close friends with his Sergeant but in fact Tommy only let go of her because he did not want _her_ to get in trouble. Their friendship was something to be protected from naughty office gossip.

"Oh, good gracious, Barbara!" Tommy exclaimed when he shot a glance at his reflection in the mirror at the entrance door inside. "Why haven't you said anything? I look as if we-"

"Hm?" Barbara paid attention to him now that she had let Frizzles off the leash. The sight made her smile. Tommy stood there trying to tame his ruffled hair. He looked as if he had been in a storm. Or as if he had roughly played with a wild dog. His face was slightly rosy.

He did not blush because he looked rather messy. He blushed because he almost had told her that he looked as if they had been kissing. It had been the first thing that had crossed Tommy's mind when he had seen his reflection. Barbara would not do that, of this he was sure, even though she was looking at him with a warm smile. One hand automatically combed back the lock above his eyes but it did not help.

Tommy sheepishly smiled. "I think I should go and have a shower." he mumbled and quickly climbed the stairs.

"Yah. And I'll make us some tea." she sighed.

In her eyes Tommy had looked utterly adorable again. "Monday..." she mumbled to Frizzles who was watching her attentively. "It's only three days and heaven knows how long I'll be trapped here with this challenge. Couldn't you tell us about what happened there? I'd want to get done with this case as soon as possible. I really don't know how to handle all this."

"Wooff." Frizzles said and gave her a paw.

"Oh, you little cutie." Cuddling him on the floor Barbara picked several plants from his fur. "Where will this end, I ask you..."

* * *

Later, when he had come back down from his shower in his tight jogging pants and a fresh T-shirt, he was spreading the most pleasant scent of the world and already made her nervous again in an instant with his bright smile. Gladly they had work to do that would distract her. DS Havers and DI Lynley held their private daily briefing in front of the white board in the living area. It was not much they had achieved today and it was annoying.

Lynley cursed. He was about to cross out the whole board when Barbara stopped him.

"Wait, Sir. I think I have an idea." she said. "Stupid maybe but it could help."

"And that might be?"

"A film."

"A film? Good lord, Havers, don't let me worm it out of you word by-"

"Well, we have pinned that leaflet at the black board in Wychwood Pines. Why not do this nationwide with a film? This way we could address the public and reach more pepole. Somebody _must_ be out there missing this dog. Sombody had to have seen something, anything. Facebook for example could be a good way to spread the film. You know that we... I mean that the Met does it all the time, so why not now?"

"Barbara, actually that's brilliant!" In a sudden outbreak of enthusiasm Tommy pulled her into a hefty hug. Even the dog sensed something good and jumped around them barking but when Barbara expected him to even give her a big smack on the lips he released her. Bending down to his mobile on the coffee table he hid his face from her eyes. He really had been about to kiss her and that would not be appropriate at all, wherever that had come from. Instead he suggested to start filming right away.

"No, Sir, we should write something like a script first." Barbara went to the kitchen. She needed a cold drink now. The moment only had been a fragment of a second long but it had thrilled her to the bone. She definitely desired that man and working so close like now was hard to bear. They should solve this case quickly.

"We could shoot it in the patio." he suggested. "You sit on the chair and-"

"Me? Surely not!"

"Well, do you think _I_ should talk to the public? With that face?"

"Not a face to hide, Sir."

Tommy fondly smiled at her. "Do you think so?"

"Well, you- Oh, shut up!" Although she blushed she had to laugh nonetheless. She gave him a playful slap on his arm. "You're the DI, and you're male. All in all you'd be more convincing than me. I wouldn't even know what to do with my hair."

"Exactly, I'm male. That's why _you_ should do it. People would trust you more and womenare more often seen as likable and-"

"You know that this is entirely clichéd, don't you?"

"So what?" For a few moments they stared at each other and waited for the other to give in. "And by the way, Frizzles is _your_ little friend."

"Pah..." Barbara rolled her eyes and turned to the kitchen.

"And by the way, I like the way you wear your hair." he called after her. He could not see her smile again.

* * *

Over setting the table and preparing some pasta for dinner they bickered on until they had found how and where it should be made and who would say what. At one point Tommy playfully had asked if he should give her the order to appear in front of the camera but he had looked so tender and convinced she was a better choice than him so Barbara had given in to his plea. Still she was not entirely happy with it.

They settled on the sofa after they finished all the kitchen work. For a few minutes Tommy zapped through the channels and Barbara got up again to fetch them both a beer. She had no objections when he stopped zapping on a channel showing an episode of Midsomer Murders. Everybody must have seen this episode a thousand times but it still was a nice distraction before they would go to bed.

After a while Barbara pulled her feet under her legs and involuntarily leaned towards the man at her side. Tommy put an arm around her shoulder without looking away from the TV so Barbara whose eyes also were fixed on the screen willingly moved another bit closer. Eventually she leaned her head against his chest. Her eyes started to fall shut every now and then and finally she kept them closed.

* * *

 _Barbara felt the soft stroke of his hand on her arm and a kiss on top of her head. She opened her eyes and looked at him. The depth of his dark marbles absorbed her stare and he came close._

"I love you." Tommy whispered almost unhearable.

"And I-" Barbara mumbled. Then she startled up, blinked twice, withdraw her hand from his belly and brought some distance between them. On the TV there was another show running. Tommy looked at her slightly shocked and released her from the soft grip of his arms. "What time is it? How long have I slept?"

He warmly smiled. "You've not moved shortly after Barnaby walked on that wall. You've started a sweet snore against my chest during the ten o'clock news and now it's exactly a quarter past eleven."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Why should I? It was comfortable."

"Ah..."

Tommy did not appear to be disturbed by her quizzical look. "For a change it was nice to have someone in my arms." He kept the fond smile in his face. Barbara though suddenly got up and moved her cracking shoulders.

"I should go to bed." she brusquely said. "It's late. Good night."

"Sleep well, Barbara." He said it into her back and she already was halfway up the stairs. Although he stared at the TV screen a bit later Tommy did not see what it showed. He obviously had woken her up and he was thinking hard about what she had been about to reply before she had woken up completely. If he would not know better, she had been about to answer something similar to what he had whispered into her hair.

He should have repeated it but his emotions had overpowered him. Now it was too late to pick up the setting of the wonderful moment earlier. Almost one hour later Tommy finally was able to follow Barbara up the stairs.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	9. Day 4 - Tommy

**.**

 **Day 4 - Tommy  
**

 **.**

* * *

They had lived together only for three days and they already cherished a comfortable morning routine with Tommy getting up first and Barbara coming down the stairs a bit later. The wonderful smell of freshly brewed coffee always showed her the way. Today she already was properly dressed and found him in his suit sitting at the table scribbling something on a paper with his reading glasses slid to the tip of his nose.

"Mornin', Sir."

"Good morning, Barbara!" He looked up with a genuine smile. For a second he thought she would give him a kiss but she only bent down to see what he was writing. In fact she also was bending down to get closer to his neck because apart from the smell of coffee she always enjoyed getting more of his personal scent. When she smelled it it always was tickling her nose and speaking to something in her heart that felt strangely familiar and thrillingly forbidden all at once. The memory of the disturbing moment from the previous evening returned to her mind.

"I think I also need glasses." she mumbled ignoring the twitch in her belly.

Tommy took them off his nose and held them out to her. "Just try mine."

Partly out of curiosity if she could see better and partly out of fun Barbara tried them on. It actually was better with them and she could decipher a few words of his neat but strangely unreadable script.

"And?" He looked at her.

She looked at him through the glasses. "Yes, it's a bit better."

* * *

For a fragment of time that was too short to keep but too long to ignore Tommy's eyes showed unveiled sexual desire before he obviously got a grip on himself and hid his feelings behind a sweet but somehow thin smile. Barbara's knees almost began to buckle. She wanted to be looked at like this again. And more often. Their fingers brushed when she returned his reading aid to him. This was too much. The accidental touch involuntarily made her sharply inhale. She turned on her heels.

"I need a coffee." she breathed.

Tommy cleared his throat. The inappropriate sparkling between them had to be stopped somehow. Or finally ignited to its full burning and that had to happen soon or it will strike him in the most inappropriate moment. He decided that now was not the time. To calm down his nerves he painted a few patterns on the page with his notes.

"What you're writing there - is it what I think it is?" Barbara came back to the table with a mug.

"I had a few ideas of what you could say in the appeal."

"Ah... mh, I'll come back to that later. I'm still not convinced _I_ should do that. And I can't say that I'm pleased."

"You'll be great! You _are_ great with Frizzles."

"Did you go walkies?" She chose to ignore his compliment and changed the subject.

"Not yet. I've called Hillier to ask for permission and he gave us free rein."

"Oh, wonderful..." Barbara said with the biggest portion of sarcasm she was able to throw in. It made Tommy chuckle.

He went on writing and eating and Barbara put the dog on the leash. She left the door open when, to Tommy's amusement, she walked out of the cottage with Frizzles with the coffee mug still in her hand. Ten minutes later she returned and his text for her was finished.

* * *

While Barbara made herself some toasted bread Tommy ate a bowl of cereals. With a half full mouth, something Barbara would not have expected from his Lordship, he found enough courage to tell her that it was gorgeous working so close with her, almost day and night, and how wonderful it was to be here with her. It had surprised him, he admitted, that living together in this small cottage worked almost perfectly.

"You mean, I'm tidier than you had expected?"

"Oh, please, Barbara." Tommy gave her his trademark eyebrow raising with a slightly tilted head. "That's not the point. It's so relaxed here. Don't you think that we live here in wonderful harmony with not too many arguments?"

"Except for work."

"Except for work, that's true, but I would not want it any other way." Tommy put away his dishes before he sat back down looking at her. "And having a dog together."

Barbara looked up with a quizzical look. He tenderly smiled and she had to ask herself what he was up to with this conversation. She would have to star in that film anyway so why was he still sweet talking? "Huh?"

"Well, sort of. I think Frizzles is more yours than ours. I really do wonder why don't you get yourself a dog? You're so at ease with him and he adores you. I really love to watch you both."

He swallowed. That was more than he actually had wanted to reveal. For a second she narrowed her eyes but decided not to put any deeper meaning into his words. They were talking about the dog and work, she tried to remember herself and swallowed down the bite of toast that threatened to get stuck in her throat.

* * *

"Ah, at home it's different than here." Barbara shrugged. Of course she would like to have a dog, but first it was too expensive and second she would not be able to give a dog the attention and surroundings it would need. "Not enough time, not enough space. I'm too often away from home and you know how small the flat it is I'm living in."

"You could make your DI if you think you will need more money to care for a dog." Tommy knew what she had been thinking of. Barbara only gave him a glare saying that he should stop pushing her in that direction. "It would also give you more time. Because it would be yourself who's responsible for your schedules."

"Like it is with you, Sir? I can see your generous schedule daily." Barbara laughed. "Still there'd be my tiny flat. I don't think I'd be able to afford something bigger so soon. Even as a DI."

"You could move in with me." Initially he had meant it as a joke but with the words' taste still lingering on his tongue he realised he would love to go on living with her like this when the case was solved one day. Barbara instead was shocked. She had dropped her toast and looked at him with her mouth agape. She closed it with a plopping sound before she gave him a furious look. How dare he playing with her like that.

"Sir! That's not- ... !"

"Well, first you should start calling me by name of course." Tommy laughed and tried to sound humorous but there was something so deeply serious in his eyes Barbara could not ignore. She also did not dare to decipher it.

She grumbled. "It's actually out of the question!"

"Calling me by name?" He still smiled and it confused her completely.

"Bollocks!" Barbara got up and turned her back on him. Pretending that her mug needed a refill she went towards the coffee pot. "You know what I mean. Moving in with you. It's ridiculous..." She shook her head and staying perched at the worktop she turned to him. After a few deep, calming breaths she added a croaked "Tommy." before she hid her face inside her mug.

The atmosphere was full of a light amusement but under the surface it was also as tense as it had been yesterday evening. Tommy's face was beaming with happiness but he did not comment on her saying his name. He knew it had been a huge step over the fence she had put up around herself.

Barbara laboriously got herself another toast. She did not address him like that anymore during the rest of the morning.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	10. Filming

**.**

 **Filming  
**

 **.**

* * *

It was a sunny day. It was just the perfect weather to shoot the film they had planned.

"Ah, Lafferty! You arrive at just the right moment!" DI Lynley exclaimed seeing the pathologist climbing out of his car.

"Oh, that sounds... a bit dangerous, Sir. Morning, Barbie, have you slept well?" The winking pathologist earned a death glare from DS Havers who was just brushing Frizzles on the small green in front of the police building. The dog did not like it very much so he took the offered opportunity to escape and jump at Stuart. All her efforts were gone in the instant Lafferty started to cuddl the dog.

Earlier they had organised a camera and a tripod. The front of the police building was in full sunlight and they had arranged everything. Lynley and Havers were ready to start filming but since the other offers were busy with a car accident on a nearby road there only was one of them left here to help. Now Stuart was introduced to him and he was asked to film them. Of course he agreed.

DI Lynley in his suit and the uniformed officer stood in the background while DS Havers, today in dark blue slacks and a white blouse, stood in the front with Frizzles on the leash. He was courteously sitting still at her side after Lafferty had set him free. She even had borrowed a narrow checked cravat and a bowler which did not fit her head so she had tucked it under her arm. Her hair was pinned to a ponytail. Only seconds after they had started with the first shots she threw the bowler and the cravat into the box where the tripod had been in. It had upset her all the time.

"Stupid stuff!" she grunted. "I'm not a uniformed officer."

"Yeah, Barbie!" Stuart laughed. "Give us the grim one!"

"Shut up, Stu! And delete that from the SD card right now or I'll kill you! Now, could we please get started with this bloody filming?"

"Aaaand... action!" Tommy chuckled in her back.

Already smiling for the camera Barbara hissed through her teeth that he should beware.

Twice she talked into the camera what her boss had scribbled down at the breakfast table. Then Lafferty made a few short takes with the dog in full posture and one with Barbara's and Frizzles' faces while she said: "Please help and share your knowledge about this dog. Give us any information you have, however small it is. You can call any of the following numbers."

* * *

It took them about an hour. A few villagers of Wychwood Market had watched them and two of the officers returning from the road accident had made their fun of it. They obviously did not think it would be of any help.

"And now?" Stuart asked when Barbara went inside to send the material to London. The uniformed officer brought the camera equipment back inside.

"She sends it to London." Lynley replied. "Hillier gave us an e-mail address. They will cut the film and add a few pictures of the hut before it had burned down. Superintendent Grover had been so kind to cede it to us. Let's hope the public will help."

"Ah, the swarm intelligence. That's why I'm here. I've tried something similar." Stuart grinned. "Of course not on facebook."

"Meaning what?"

"I was quite surprised about the dead woman's jaw." He made a clattering sound with his teeth. It put a frown on Lynley's face. Sometimes he was not overly pleased with the humorous way Lafferty usually underlined his verbal reports. "So I've prepared it, took some pictures and published them in a much read professional online journal for dentists this morning."

"That's good news, Lafferty. Let's see if any of it has success."

* * *

Barbara had sent the data to London and now was in desperate need of a coffee. Approaching the small kitchenette she heard someone inside mumbling her name. Immediately knowing full well that there were two of the officers gossiping she hid at the door and listened closer.

"With Lynley?" the other voice was saying. "No way. Did you know that he's an Earl? By no means would he get involved with a simple police officer."

"Ah, I've heard rumours about him."

"Fu**ing himself through the Met?" The men gave a dirty chuckle. Barbara had to swallow down her anger. She knew Lynley's reputation but she also knew that only half of it was true.

"I've heard Miller talking to Smithy. He's seen them walking the dog together near Wychwood Mallow and what I've heard was that they were almost glued into each other's side. And Lynley had looked rather messy as if they had... you know what..."

"Hehehe - the DI and his little Sergeant... Who would have thought. Although their private pathologist seems quite close to her too."

"You filthy tongue!" the other one naughtily laughed. "But well, no. Only as a close colleague. And he obviously knows about the little secret they try to hide from us. Or at least it had sounded like that. I wasn't able to understand them clearly when they had talked. Something about the case but I also understood it was something about Lynley."

"And hey, what a nice opportunity here at the cottage. They're almost constantly there and they're probably doing everything but working at their case."

"Yeah, they're surely at it throughout the entire night. That's why she's drinking so much coffee." One of the officers laughed.

"And that's why they still have no clue at all. They can't learn anything when they're constantly f-"

This was the moment when Barbara had heard enough. She already was steaming with anger. Appearing calm she walked around the corner. Immediately the men went silent.

* * *

"Gentlemen." Barbara greeted them icy cold. "Say, what do you think you're talking about, hm?"

"Ma'am?" The younger one tried to feign ignorance.

"You know exactly what I mean. When you gossip so viciously about somebody you should make sure they can't hear you." She was 'only' a woman, she was small; but she was of higher rank and detective and she was addressing them with the sharpest voice they ever had heard. Her eyes were narrowed and it was not long before the men turned into police cadets in their first year. Barbara sharply told them a few things about being colleagues for a long time, about loyalty, trust and friendship that went beyond any sexual idea. "Even though, or maybe exactly _because_ we're not both male. All those differences, and yes, I mean all of them including male and female, his social background and mine, are necessary for the way we're working. We complement each other. And we know each other by heart. You know, we've been partnered for a long time. Since then it wasn't always sunny, believe me. We've gone through some very, _very_ rough times. We've managed situations you poor little village officers would not dare dream of. It bonds. It ties us together deeper than you can imagine. That's why we're also so close friends apart from work."

Barbara paused and it made the older officer feel as if she was expecting a reaction. "Yes, ma'am." he murmured.

"But even if there _was_ ," she went on. "and I don't say there _is_ , something going on between DI Lynley and me - which is, by the way, completely inappropriate for the direct chain of commands we have here - it would be none, I repeat _none_ of your bloody business. Is that understood?" The men silently nodded. "And now I suggest you both get busy with your own work as quick as possible. You _may_ leave now."

* * *

What Barbara did not know was that Tommy had heard her dressing them down. He stood where Barbara had stood a few minutes ago. When the officers went past him he nodded politely and did not let on anything but before he himself would be discovered by _her_ he quickly left for the gents. She should not know he had witnessed her lecture.

Tommy had loved to hear her defending their friendship but he wondered if she really was not feeling more than just that. For the rest of the day Tommy thought about that hint of truth in the insinuations from the officers.

For the rest of the day Barbara only wondered why her boss was so reflective but she did not dare to ask.

She did not when they had dinner. She did not when they walked the dog this evening. She did not either when they had a pint at the local pub afterwards. And when they said good night at the door to her bedroom she was far too tired to think about it.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	11. Day 5 - The Tramp

**.**

 **Day 5 - The Tramp**

 **.**

* * *

"Wake up, Barbara! You're on the internet!"

With only a short knock and without waiting for a reply Tommy stormed into her bedroom. Barbara sat upright in an instant. Confusion was written all over her face. She very obviously still had been sleeping deeply when he had rushed in.

"Wha'? Huh?" She looked around in the room, then went a hand through her wild hair. "Internet?"

"I'm sorry." He stopped at the foot of her bed still waving his mobile phone. "I woke you. I thought you'd be up by now. It's almost seven."

Barbara groaned and slumped back onto her pillow. "Yes, exactly. _Almost_. At seven my alarm softly would have pulled me from- Ah! You see? Like this."

Her alarm clock had started its ridiculous melody on a low level and gently increased its volume. Tommy grinned. In fact he was not sure if he was sorry. She was too cute in the morning and he could not get enough of it. She was grumpy but he adored her still. Realising that and realising he should not be here in her bedroom Tommy turned on his heels and offered a Full English as a redemption.

"No. Just toast. Please no Full English every day, Tommy, or do you want me to fail my next fitness tests? I already have too much here and there."

Tommy already was on the stairs so Barbara was not able to hear what he was muttering. "Not at all. It's just the right amount in just the right places."

"What did you say?" she called after him.

"Nothing!" his grin was audible. She supposed he had said something not so polite but somehow the teasing tone of his voice had brought on a smile in her face.

* * *

The film was on the Met's and the local police's facebook account. Over breakfast Tommy and Barbara watched what the public relations team had conjured. They had put her appeal at the start, mixed with pictures of the dog, then the close-up and later the stuff with the hut. It ended with a close-up where Barbara only smiled and got a dog kiss from Frizzles on her cheek, the subtitles displaying the telephone numbers.

Tommy smiled lovestruck at her. "If you ever will resign from police work, you should become a BBC star. New homes for animals or something like that. I can literally picture it."

"Bollocks." Barbara mumbled.

"And look how many likes it already has. It's even shared a lot already."

"Scroll down. Is there anything helpful in the comments?"

In silence they skimmed the entries. Apart from a lot of "this dog is soooo cuuuute!" or good luck wishes and the usual hatred like "Get busy with something serious." there also were answers with racist political shit and inappropriate offers for the Sergeant.

Barbara sighed. Tommy rubbed her shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to read this." he murmured.

"Ah, it's not that." she replied. "That's the usual internet shit. I only wonder now how many people will read all this. It's such a lot of response. We shouldn't miss the serious entries.

"I've already asked Winston to check. He's reading it at London and filters it. He will also collect the information from callers. If there's something useful he will send it to the connector."

* * *

The film was broadcasted on different platforms so there were a lot of calls and entries during the morning. Most of them were about the dog, thousands of people named Frizzles' race and some thought they had recognised him. Officers from all over the country went to make home visits but all the owners were able to show their dogs or at least clarify that there was no connection to Frizzles. Much to their disappointment nobody called who was missing his companion.

For now they were condemned to idleness but they used it wisely. DI Lynley and DS Havers were sitting in the sun on a bench in the beer garden of a pub where they had had their lunch. They sat relaxed, leaning comfortably into the cushions on the backrest and watching a Shettie playfully chasing an impressive race-horse through a nearby paddock. Even Frizzles sat and watched. He was tied to the table leg and would have loved to go running too but unfortunately his humans would not let him. Although Tommy was not putting his arm around her shoulder he had laid it on the backrest behind Barbara. She had placed her head on his right arm and was sipping a refreshing shandy.

* * *

Tommy was aware of her with every fibre of his body. It could have been a wonderful moment if not suddenly his mobile went off with Nkata's personal ringtone.

"Oh, bloody phone!" he cursed fishing for his mobile. "Yes, Nkata? Any good news?"

Frizzles came wagging his tail and curiously watched the detective. Catching for attention he prodded his wet nose into Lynley's thigh but the human did not react. He could not. With his left hand DI Lynley answered the call while Barbara kept her head where it was lying on his right arm. She only closed her eyes and groaned in annoyance. Her face blushed because her thoughts had taken a slightly forbidden road before the call came in. She only listened with one ear to what Lynley said. The news would be on the Connex anyway soon, she supposed, and there it was already blinking its light that indicated there was a new message.

Indeed Nkata had sent it. It was the facts about an anonymous caller who had dialled one of the numbers to give information about someone he knew to be hanging around there a lot. The caller had heard from that man who was called Jason that there was a hut giving him shelter from time to time. He surely was in the area now, maybe not at the hut but maybe at Pinewood Creek Bridge or in the ruins of Dankett Castle.

"Get going, Havers, there's already a new lead." Lynley grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the bench. With an unwilling sigh Barbara followed him to the car. Unfortunately he let go of her hand as soon as they were entering the pub to get to the street side.

"I knew somebody would call." she murmured. "Somebody _had_ to call 'cause it was just getting comfy."

Frizzles of course was happy to be able to run again.

* * *

Pinewood Creek Bridge looked as if there was a regular camp but at the moment it seemed deserted. Only woodlice and spiders lived in the old dirty sleeping bag so the two detectives went back to Frizzles who had waited in the police Landrover. Then they drove towards Dankett Castle. On the way there Barbara read the entry on Wikipedia. The castle was not really a castle but an old not very huge manor that had been blown up under miraculous circumstances near the end of the 19th century. Most likely it had been its owner himself who was experimenting with explosives and chemicals trying to find a new way of making money. After the explosion the inheritance dispute had gone on for years and years until now and meanwhile the remaining walls deteriorated even more.

"Nowadays, it's said here," Barbara read. "it's used mostly for tramps as camp site or sometimes for young people's forbidden parties."

"Well, maybe it was a good thing to call for uniformed back-up. Who knows what waits for us. Ah... And there they are." A police car joined the road the two London officers were driving on and followed them up to the half overgrown ruin.

"Let me call him." Barbara suggested. "Not that he runs away when he hears your male voice."

"My what?" Lynley laughed.

"You know what I mean." she smiled. Then she raised her voice calling down a slippery staircase. "Jason? Helloho! Are you there?"

DI Lynley and DS Havers went down, followed by the two uniformed officers. "Jason? I need to speak to you." Barbara called him again.

An unshaven face appeared. "Oi, a princess in my cas-" Jason cut himself short. "Ah, and her henchmen."

If his voice had sounded pleased at first it had turned annoyed when the policemen had come into sight. Nonetheless he bowed to Barbara with a polite smile. "Welcome, Mylady."

* * *

"Are you Jason?" Lynley asked. Frizzles wagged his tail and pulled towards the tramp but Barbara kept the leash short.

"Yes, Sir. Jason Herring. Or Fish for my closest friends." Making a gesture towards his camp Jason apologised. "Excuse me for not inviting you for a cuppa. I'm a bit short of porcelain at the moment. What can I do for you, officers?"

DI Lynley held up his warrant card. "I'm Detective Inspector Lynley. This is DS Havers. We have a couple of questions, Mr Herring."

"Ask away!"

"Do you know this hut?" Lynley showed him a picture of the hut before it had burned down.

"Umm, well, yes, that's the one in Pitty's Wood. Sometimes I... err..."

"Yes? Go on?"

"Oi, I have the vague idea that whatever I'll say it will put me into trouble."

"So you've been there?" the Inspector continued his interview.

Jason nodded. "A few times."

"Have you been inside?"

Jason nodded again.

"Do you mind if we continue this conversation at the office, Mr Herring?" Although Lynley had not given any sign the uniformed officers suddenly stood ready to step in.

"Do you arrest me?" the tramp defensively asked.

"Not yet."

"Good. But I'd like to pack my things first if you don't mind. You know how it is nowadays with all those thieves and vandals..."

* * *

Passing Barbara and Frizzles Jason stopped shortly to cuddle the dog who visibly was happy about that.

"You both seem familiar." Barbara stated. It was more a question if Jason knew Frizzles already.

"Oh, I have a natural thing with dogs." the tramp replied with an apologising grin. "Probably because I usually smell a bit like them."

With all of his belongings stored in the boot of the police car they drove him to the station. Before they would start the interview he was offered tea and a sandwich because the rumbling sound of his stomach had become unbearably disturbing.

DI Lynley led the rather easy conversation. He opened the Manila folder and showed pictures of the hut before and after the fire. Jason had whistled when he saw the black ruin. He had not whistled and became more cautious when he was told of the discovery of the burnt corpse.

"When you say you've been there, what does it mean exactly." Lynley went on asking.

"Ah, one or the other time."

"Have you been inside?"

"Umm, yes?"

"Was it open?"

"Err..."

"So, I understand that as a no."

Jason nodded.

"Do you know the owner?"

"No, Sir, but I've seen the same man twice there, shagging- sorry Ma'am..." He apologised to Barbara. "... _being at it_ with two different women. Just that. I only had to wait a bit and they were gone soon so I could make myself at home there."

"Can you describe him?"

"Well, he looked rather... naked." Jason showed a naughty grin but turned serious when he realised that his tone was not appreciated. "I guess he was 'bout your height, Sir, but his hair was balding. And blonder. Not the figure of an athlete but not chubby either. I'd say he was between 45 and 55 but actually I didn't really see his face. I'm sorry I can't say more but, well, I actually wasn't watching them... err..."

DS Havers exchanged a look with Lynley. The description could have been everybody, even SI Grover or DCI Baker.

"I've seen the cars though."

"Yes? Go on."

"Once they were there with a bright red one, quite huge, but parked a few yards away. I only saw it through the trees. And the other time there was an old Golf Cabriolet. Black."

"You don't have the plate numbers by chance?"

"No, sorry."

* * *

Since Jason Herring had admitted that he had manipulated the door lock and regularly had spent his nights there, even had used the blankets on the sofa and the axe outside to chop a bit of wood for a fire during cold nights they took examples from his finger prints to see if they might match some of those found there. Jason was sure of that. He openly admitted he had been there but he vehemently denied he had any knowledge of the fire or the woman or that he was in any kind involved in her murder.

"Have you ever talked to someone about the hut?" Lynley asked.

"Not that I know of." Jason offered a broad grin. "I usually don't tell my secret luxury places." He thought about it for a second. "Mh... Perhaps I did so when I've had one or the other pint. You know, we tend to keep the best places to ourselves but unfortunately we also tend to swagger." **  
**

Being asked where he had been that respective night he told them that he had been in Northampton meeting with friends. It would be hard to grab hold of them because they all were more or less tramps but Jason told them where exactly he had been that night.

* * *

"We have to check on your story and lifeline before we could let you go." Lynley told him. Jason nodded. "Let's start with the question if you are married."

"Yeees..." The tramp seemed to be thinking back to happier times. "Well, yes, I was. A veeery long time ago."

"Didn't you exchange rings?" Barbara asked.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "What do you think, Ma'am? Of course we did. But when my marriage was over I needed money. I've hocked the ring and bought me something to eat."

"Any children?" Lynley took over again.

"Nope."

"Other close realatives?"

"Nope."

"Alright then. We'll check all that." It was the DI's sign that the interview was over. Barbara closed her note pad.

"You do understand that we have to keep you here over night, Mr Herring?" DS Havers asked a bit more polite and earned a grin.

"You understand that I accept a night in a bed with a shower in the morning?"

Lynley's face darkened. "This is not a hotel, my friend."

"I know that, Sir. But I also know that I am not the murderer and I am sure you will find some CCTVs proving where I've been. We haven't been very unremarkable, if you know what I mean. We had to have a few drinks there." He also knew they would have to set him free again after 24 hours.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	12. Nice Evening

**.**

 **Nice Evening**

 **.**

* * *

After having arranged everything for Jason Herring's stay in the nick they made a small detour through the other village where Barbara got into a butcher's shop and a co-op store while Tommy waited in the car. She had told him that she would be responsible for dinner tonight and because he had teased her too much about her cooking skills she was not going to tell him what it would be.

In Wychwood Mallow in their cottage she put away the stuff she had bought while Lynley was typing on the Connex some details about Herring. He could not imagine that he had lied to them but of course his story still had to be proved.

"Can I help you with anything, Barbara?" he called into the kitchen without getting up from his chair. He sat on it facing backwards and studied the white board. Barbara had been right. The huge display was easier to handle than the electronic version on their new device.

"Actually yes. Could you please peel the potatoes?"

He got up and came to the edge of the kitchen area where he placed his hands on his hips. "Peel potatoes? Ma'am, I'm a cook, not a kitchen hand!"

"Today you are." Barbara grinned and pushed the paper bag with the soil-encrusted organic bulbs into his chest. "And I am the chef! After peeling, cut them into pieces."

"Where are you going?" To his surprise she had left the kitchen.

"You peel and cut the potatoes, Tommy, and I put on something more comfortable." she called across her shoulder and immediately blushed. She only was going to get into her jogging pants but it had sounded as if she was putting on something indecent. In the kitchen Tommy was grinning broadly with the inappropriate thought of Barbara in a light nighty crossing his mind.

* * *

When she returned he had finished and already waited for her with a linen apron. "Chef, you have to put this on!"

Unable to voice her protest Barbara had the robust cloth hanging around her neck and Tommy's fingers laboriously fidgeting with the ribbon in her back in an instant. She would say he was trying to deliberately accidentally touch her. And apparently constrict her.

"Ugh! Are you trying to squash me?"

Tommy had finished and turned her around to face him. He examined his work and concluded it was good. Actually it almost was too good. The cloth strained at just the right places. "It has to sit tight. Now you can go and cook."

If he would stand here like this for any second longer he probably would have bent down and kissed her. She had looked at him so sweetly indignant. Barbara had turned on her heels but he could see the blush creeping across her neck, now that her hair had been pinned into a ponytail. For a second he thought about following and placing a kiss at least onto her disposed neck.

"Potatoes peeled and cut into small pieces?" she asked ignorant to his intentions. Tommy decided she surely would not be pleased if he would be that bold.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. Water, salt, and onto the stove with it."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And stop ma'aming me."

"Yes, Ma'am. Ouch!" A kitchen towel had hit his bottom. "Hey! I'm going to call for works council."

Now that the potatoes were starting to boil Tommy cleaned up his work place. Barbara was cutting an onion. Tears were streaming down her face. "Ah, shit!" she mumbled when she half blindly put them into a bowl.

"See? You don't like that." Tommy teased her but when she looked up with a glare he could not stop his thumb from wiping her cheek. Her face turned into a nervously amused smile. His voice was hoarse when he asked what he should do now.

"Nothing." She had a very accurate idea of what he should do now. She just could not tell him. "Just stand there and look good." She blushed a bit but had to laugh when Tommy put himself into a heroic pose in the middle of the kitchen area.

* * *

He watched Barbara while she was bustling in the kitchen preparing their meal. She looked as if she knew exactly what she was doing. It may be a simple meal, but she was cooking it for him so it would become the best bangers and mash he ever had tasted. Tommy was sure this would be a meal worth for a king. Apart from her cooking artistry she made a nice figure anyway. He had wound the apron so tight around her frame that he was able to see all her curves and he could not seriously say he was displeased with what he saw.

"What?!" Barbara eventually said with a gruffly undertone. His constant juvenile smile had made her nervous. He did not stop it now.

"I'm just admiring the beautiful sight of you cooking for me."

"Bollocks, Sir!" She turned out the stove and poured the rest of the potato water into the sink hoping that the redness in her face looked as if she was working so hard. "Potatoes are done."

With a loud thud the pot landed on the table mat. Tommy came closer. "And now?"

"Milk, butter, nutmeg, masher." Broadly grinning Barbara thrusted the potato masher into Tommy's hand. "I think you know what to do."

In the meantime Barbara had fried the sausages that were now kept hot in the oven. With the remnants in the pan and the fried onions she was preparing a nice sauce.

"Will there be anything green to it?" Tommy asked. He had created a nice potato puree.

"Are you crazy?" Her voice was laughing. "This is bangers and mash. You can ask for a gallon of gravy but not for a salad."

"Of course not." Grinning he shook his head in amused disbelief. He winked. "Forgive me that I've asked."

"We're having some fruit for dessert. That will have to do with vitamins."

Never before, except maybe for childhood days, had Tommy tasted such wonderful bangers and mash.

* * *

Dinner was as pleasant and chatty as it was the days before. Later in the evening DI Lynley and DS Havers became sure they would already set Jason free after breakfast. There was enough CCTV footage that clearly showed him in Northampton in front of a pub smoking and also on a bridge together with two other equally drunken fellows, walking towards a public park.

DI Lynley already was called and informed about it in the evening after their usual daily briefing and update of the white board and a following shower, when he read a book and Barbara played some silly game on her laptop. Tommy was not so sure about the latter. Maybe she was in fact chatting with her facebook friends. She was grinning far too much and her fingers did not appear to click but type texts.

One thing was sure and that was that it was too late to call the night officer to set Jason free. At least that was what Tommy said. Barbara playfully accused him of having a soft heart, to let the tramp stay over night. Then they settled back into the cushions of the sofa, Barbara with her back against the armrest of the sofa and her feet on the seat next to Tommy who had his bare feet lying on the coffee table. Not really thinking about it he eventually started to caress her feet. It tickled her tremendously and she cursed him under laughter. With an evil grin Tommy let his fingernail only lightly touch the sole of her foot.

"Tommy!" Frizzles raised his head with pricked up ears because she had shrieked so loud and now she could not pull back because he had grabbed her ankle firmly. Barbara wound her legs but was unable to escape him. "Stop that!" she cried with laughter.

Putting his book aside Tommy grinned. "I'm sorry, Barbara. I'll atone for it."

"You'd better!" To her delight he started to massage her left foot with both hands. It had an immediate effect on Barbara. "Mh, yes, that's a good price to pay me!"

For a while she still tried to focus on her laptop but it did not work very well.

* * *

[ CU later, girls ] Barbara typed into the chat window.  
[ I'm just getting a foot massage by my boss ! ! :-D ]

 _Dalek Jordan:_  
 _[ WOOHOO! ]_

 _Esme McCormick:_  
 _[ (y) ]_

 _Tardis Girl:_  
 _[ Have fun with your boss, Clara! And don't ]_  
 _[ forget to contracept. ]_ _  
_ _[ B-) ]_

 _Dalek Jordan:_  
 _[ Tardisgirl, you're naughty ]_

 _Tardis_ _ _Girl_ :_  
 _[ Me?! 0:-) ]  
[ Not at all! But maybe she finally gets ]_  
 _[ somewhere with this stupid man ]_

 _Esme_ _ _McCormick_ :_  
 _[ (y) ]_

 _Dalek Jordan:_  
 _[ (y) ]_

 _Tardis_ _ _Girl_ :_  
 _[ Cancel that. If you get somewhere DON'T ]_  
 _[ contracept. Marry him and get a lot of ]_  
 _[ babies ]_

 _Katie Doctor XII:_  
 _[ Good evening, girls! ]  
[ I've finally posted ch. 6 *sweats* ]  
_

 _Dalek Jordan:_  
 _[ Hiya! ]_

 _Esme_ _ _McCormick_ :_  
 _[ Greetings ]  
[ Hooray! ]  
_

 _Tardis_ _ _Girl_ :_  
 _[ Hello, Doc. You've missed the latest news: ]_  
 _[ Clara gets a sexy massage by her boss ;-) ]_

 _ _Katie Doctor XII_ :_  
 _[ What?! ]_

 _Tardis_ _ _Girl_ :_  
 _[ And she's been silent for quite some time ]_  
 _[ now. Dalek, I KNOW they're at it. ]_

 _Dalek Jordan:_  
 _[ (y) ]_

 _ _Katie Doctor XII_ :_  
 _[ It was about time... *snickers* ]_

 _Esme_ _ _McCormick_ :_  
 _[ She's only getting a foot massage ]_

 _Tardis_ _ _Girl_ :_  
 _[ Spoilsport! :-P ]_

 _ _Katie Doctor XII_ :_  
 _[ I read her last entry. It's definitely not just ]  
[ a __foot massage. Otherwise she would have ]_  
 _[ commented your chat. ]_

 _Dalek Jordan:_  
 _[ (y) ]_

* * *

The screensaver of her monitor went on but in fact Barbara had stopped reading after the first thumbs up. Her eyes had closed automatically and her head had fallen back onto the armrest. The massage he gave her feet was too wonderful. After a while his fingers turned softer and the pressing strokes turned into gentle caresses even up her calves.

An involuntary moan disrupted the silence. Surprised Barbara hid the sound behind a fake yawn and then withdrew her feet from his magic hands. Beet red she closed the laptop with a thud and got up from the sofa.

"I'm tired, Sir." she murmured. "I think I should go to bed. Thanks for the massage."

"You're welcome. Sleep well, Barbara."

Frizzles followed his beloved human up the stairs. When they were out of sight Tommy also got up and pretended to tidy up in the kitchen. He had watched Barbara relaxing and enjoying his ministrations and his mind had started to take a path he had not been able to predict. It had not been unpleasant but he had to get his emotions under control before he went to bed or his dreams would become completely disturbing tonight.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	13. Day 6 - A Breakthrough?

**.**

 **Day 6 - A Breakthrough?  
**

 **.**

* * *

Jason was brought back to Dankett Castle after a healthy breakfast. The CCTV footage was filed away as proof for Jason Herring's alibi and although Jason's fingerprints matched some of those they had found at the shed it only was evidence that he had been there, not that he had murdered the woman or was involved in any kind. For now he was told to stay in town but probably he would get away with report of willful damage to property. It was the Superintendent's decision if he had to appear at court for that.

When DS Havers and DI Lynley drove to Superintendent Grover to tell him about Herring he presented himself only slightly surprised that someone had used his hut without permission. But he did not know him either and probably would let that case of damage slip.

"The hut is gone anyway, so why should I bother."

* * *

"It looks as if we're going in circles, Sir." Barbara sighed when she entered the car. She opened the Connex and added a few notes. Lynley did not start the engine immediately.

"And we even don't know where to grab a thread." he said still staring out of the front window. He sounded desperate. "It can't be that there's no helpful evidence. That there's no witness."

"Except for that man Jason had talked about. And Frizzles maybe. Do you think he's met Jason before?"

"I don't think so. Frizzles is just a super friendly dog. He seems to love every human." Lynley ruffled the dog's head that already had appeared between the front seats. "Hm, you frizzly thing, you? If only you were capable of speaking."

"Woof." Frizzles said.

"Looks as if we have to learn Doggish, Tommy." Barbara laughed.

The grin he gave her bending forward to look past Frizzles was more than juicy and made Barbara realise what she had suggested. And that she had called him by his name again. Feeling a deep blush on her face she grinned slightly reproachful. "Get going, Sir. Let's consult Lafferty again."

Tommy snorted a laugh but kept his rather inapproriate reply to himself.

* * *

Back at the office they went through all the information they could find about every involved person. It was a boring and futile. Nothing seemed to be related to the hut or a missing person or the dog in the way it should be to finally follow another lead and they could not check on every Golf Cabriolet in England, could they.

"Let's go home." Tommy eventually said and rubbed her back. At one point Barbara had groaned in annoyance and buried her face in the palms of her hands. On the other side of the office one of the local colleagues watched them all the time. He had been one of those she had dressed down in the kitchenette. Lynley gave him a tight lipped smile and the young officer quickly looked at his own monitor.

"Yah. Time for tea, isn't it?" he sighed only audible for Barbara.

"Actually I need a pint, Sir." Barbara suggested. "And we could have some pub grub. I'm too annoyed for anything else."

* * *

They sat in a quiet corner near the cold fireplace in the smaller one of the pubs in Wychwood Mallow and realised with surprise that there was more than just the usual fish and chips on the menu here.

"I invite you for dinner." Tommy sent a smile across the rim of the thin book. "Let's call it a date then."

"Bollocks." Barbara murmured. She was unable to look up and into his eyes. He was wearing his reading glasses again.

Tommy enjoyed seeing a light rosy touch that had crept across her face. "We should do this more often when we're back in London." he said casually and flipped a page.

Now she finally had to raise her head to check if he was serious. He still smiled at her. He was serious.

"On these occasions I could make sure you're not only eating take away." He winked.

"I do cook from time to time, you know." Barbara defensively answered.

"Like frozen pizza?" Tommy still teased her. "Or a pierce and ping TV dinner?"

"I'm going to throw a knife at you if you won't stop teasing me about cooking or eating. Sir."

"Well, my offer was serious."

"And so was mine."

They shared an amused grin just in the second when the waitress arrived at their table.

* * *

After dinner and two pints it was not easy to move Frizzles away from the cosy place under the table where he had dozed during the evening before they walked home. Like it had somehow become a nice habit Tommy put his arms around Barbara's shoulder. This time he felt her hand creeping around him and resting on his waist but he would not comment on it. She seemed wonderfully oblivious to what she did. Two beers had worked their magic.

Maybe it was time to bring up something more personal, Tommy thought. "You might be surprised, Barbara, but apart from this dead end case we're working at I really like being here with you. It's so peaceful. I really enjoy it. Despite all the trouble with the hut. Mh, or non-trouble, that is."

"Mh, yah." she answered. "A bit rural, I think. But that's probably better for Frizzles."

"You're both very close."

"You're not really averse to him either, or so it seems to me."

"No, you're right..." For a while they stayed silent. Tommy originally had tried to talk about them and not the dog. Now he feared Barbara would not want that topic to be brought up again. He deeply inhaled and just made another attempt. Clear words would keep her from changing the subject. "I'm not really averse to you either."

So much for clear words.

Much to his delight Tommy felt the grip of her hand at his waist tighten. "And it probably has become obvious for others. I've heard... well, I suppose our colleagues think we're not only working here but..."

"But?" Barbara almost held her breath. She sensed that her boss was trying to tell her something but she still was not sure if it was turning into a confession or if he only was going to tell her in a nice way that they should keep more distance between them. At least as long as they were working.

"Well... actually we aren't just working here, are we? I mean... you know, we live in the same cottage... Yes, we're of course working there, but we also... well... we live there together. Have breakfast, cook dinner, watch TV, walk the dog. Such normal things." He deeply breathed. "We cuddle on the sofa."

"Mhm. It's rather nice." She thought it was time to admit that loudly. It still felt strange.

"It's more than nice." He quietly said.

* * *

They were almost there. The signpost of the footpath around the corner to the street with their cottage could already be seen. He should get to the point of his speech soon. Barbara harrumphed and realised that he might want to be behind the door and inside the cottage before he would say what he wanted to say.

Another couple of even slower steps later he went on. "I think I'd like to have something like- " Suddenly his voice turned loud and angry. "Oh, bloody hell, it's almost eleven!"

His mobile had announced a call. Its ringing had brought him completely out of step, walking with Barbara as well as saying what he would like to have with her in London.

"Yes, Lafferty." he barked into his mobile. "This better has to be important."

 _"Did I interrupt you with something serious?"_ they sweet sound of the pathologist's voice came through the line.

"No, you didn't." he spat. Tommy knew exactly that Stuart would not buy it. "What do you have?"

 _"I've got an e-mail related to my article."_

Lynley let go of Barbara's shoulders. He was on high alert and she felt it immediately. It was palpable that he had slipped into his professional working mode but since she only heard his "Yes." and "Mhm." on this side of the line she patiently waited while Frizzles took the opportunity to mark this house's corner as his own until Lynley ended the call.

"We may have a hit." he excitedly told her then. "Let's get back to our head quarter, Stu's just sending the details to the Connex."

Inwardly Barbara cursed the pathologist, Tommy's mobile phone and every deity that had something to do with police work. She knew all love gods and goddesses stood behind her.

* * *

The news were there before they arrived and the little light at the modern device was blinking already. Lafferty had forwarded the e-mail from a dentist in Chipping Norton who thought that he had seen pictures of these strange teeth somewhere else so he had racked his brain and searched his file cabinets until he had found the pictures of the jaws. He had sent a copy of the x-rays and for Lafferty's eyes it seemed the same rare occasion of four missing molars and three surplus wisdom teeth. This, the little front tooth gap and the pivot tooth the dentist had implanted could become the way to finally find out who the woman was.

"Well, it looks promising." Barbara hesitantly admitted. She leaned against the dinner table because she had been unable to sit down. She could not even look at the Connex's screen. She had been too excited.

"Yes. Let's meet him first day in the morning. Stuart hadn't answered him yet and won't do it. We'll just drop by."

Barbara yawned.

"You're right, it's late. Let's go to bed." He gave her a sympathetic smile and got up. "Good night, Barbara."

Tommy bent down to her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

* * *

Barbara froze on the spot but she could not read his face because he immediately had turned and laboriously switched off the electronic device. Without looking at her he turned off the lights in the kitchen where he had brought the bottle of wine that had stood on the coffee table since yesterday and of course could have stayed there another night. He suddenly felt nervous. He seriously had not intended to give Barbara that kiss, not even after the nice walk home from the pub and even if it only was a kiss on the cheek. Now he almost was glad that she quickly had climbed the stairs before he had finished his unnecessary tasks in the kitchen. On the landing she harrumphed and with a voice too cheerful to be real she also wished him a good sleep. "Good night, Tommy!"

Only he knew he would not have it. The taste and feel of the soft skin of her cheek still lingered on his lips for a rather long time. In his bed he tossed and turned for what felt like hours before he fell into a sleep full of dreams about Barbara.

She had a similarly hard time to find peace. Although she had hoped earlier he would say something nice about their deep friendship and maybe more she never had expected him to kiss her. Not even give her a kiss on the cheek. He had made a complete mess out of the confused heap of her feelings.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	14. Day 7 - Medical Confidentiality

**.**

 **Day 7 - Medical Confidentiality**

 **.**

* * *

They both got up early and did not speak much during breakfast. They almost only exchanged hesitant smiles. Even on their way to Chipping Norton where they would meet with the dentist in his surgery they kept silent apart from a few work-related words on how to approach him. Both felt that something between them had shifted but they were not quite sure what they should make of it. Tommy had expected Barbara to either lash out to him or give him _clear_ signs that she would approve of the kiss. But she only had behaved strange this morning.

In fact Barbara had tried to act as normal as possible and maybe lure another reaction out of her boss with little signs she thought had been clear. She was by far not used to act like that. She had no experience in flirting other than with a certain amount of alcohol and in for such things more suitable premises like a pub. She probably had to get drunk to tell him that she loved him.

"Gosh!" Barbara suddenly whispered. It had been the first time she had allowed that clear thought. It reverberated loudly in her mind. Shocked she quickly looked out of the side window.

"Hm?" Tommy asked.

"Mh." She shook her head signalising it was nothing she would share.

He frowned. He had thought it would be easier to approach her after the peck on the cheek. Obviously he had been wrong. Unfortunately there was no time to go deeper into it now because they just arrived at the doctor's house. If only they would be on holidays here.

"Back to work it is then." Tommy murmured.

* * *

Lafferty had finished his work on site so he had left for London already. It would have been good to have him here because when Dr Harper finally welcomed them in his office he gave the pictures of the jaws only a brief look before he lectured them for about twenty minutes. He inserted so many opaque medical terms to make Barbara start to look around in the room. She did not understand him at all. Tommy was quite amused, she could tell from the small almost invisible wrinkles around his eyes that always appeared shortly before he started to grin at her. This time of course he diverted his eyes back to the dentist and smiled politely.

"Could you give us a name and address?" he asked.

When Dr Harper began to count all the reasons and concerns why he was not allowed to reveal the name but only could try and make a contact to relatives of his patient, Barbara opened the Manila folder and without saying any words presented him a few pictures, slowly, one by one - of the burnt hut, the burnt body and the prepared skull with the huge gap deriving from the blow of an axe.

The dentist swallowed, although he had seen some nasty things in life before. Seeing the last picture he blanched and swallowed again. Dr Harper tried to keep a straight face but in the end he could not hide his disgust.

"You do understand, Dr Harper, that we need to know who she is and if there were any relatives, a husband maybe or any other close partner, we have to be able to meet them unannounced." Barbara waited until Dr Harper nodded. "If you worry about breaching your medical secrecy, I can reassure you that it would be just a stretch of time but we could wait here until we get the official permission. That woman is dead, we have to find her murderer, we have to find him or her as soon as possible. And please believe me, we're in this business for a long time and we do know how to break these kind of news gently. Still you have to agree that since this is a case of murder we have to take things serious. And we do that. One thing is that we have to see first reactions. Everybody is to be seen as a potential murderer. So, do you have a name for us and the adress please?"

They got the name and the last known address, even the birthday and a few facts that have not been in Barbara's data sheet yet. It was matching with what Lafferty had learned from the corpse. The detectives were quite sure they were finally on the right path now. At least they would have neighbours they could interrogate if not even a husband. The dentist had not been completely sure if there was one.

* * *

"Well done, Havers." Lynley said when they came from of the dentist's house. They smiled at each other. He had said her last name with such a gently teasing understone that Barbara knew he had not switched back to the harsh tone he had used to call her when they were freshly partnered more than ten years ago. Everything felt normal again. She sighed. Maybe they would go on forever only teasing each other and keeping it close to the edge without pushing it further, whatever it was that happened between them. Tommy gave her an encouraging nod but his thoughts obviously had been on a different topic. "Dinner's my treat today."

"It's been your treat almost all evenings, Sir." Barbara laughed.

"Maybe tonight you'll get something special from me. You'll see." Tommy wriggled his eyebrows in such a way Barbara was not sure if she should call it lascivious or ridiculous. She decided on the latter. "Expect the unexpected."

"Oh, heavens!" She was glad she had decided on ridiculous. Anyway she blushed but was glad that he could not see it while he got into his car on the other side. Barbara cleared her throat. She had to get used to all of this one day. "Well, I look forward to dinner. But first let's see what we learn from her husband. If there is one. And if the dentist hadn't called him yet." After a while she quietly added "I'm glad that we finally know her name. Rosalie Pentally. Sounds almost Italian. Rosalia Pentaglio. Maybe it's a Camorra thing?"

"Oh, good Lord, let's hope not!"

* * *

The two London detectives drove to the other side of Chipping Norton. They hoped that at the address Dr Harper had given them there would live at least a flat mate if not a husband. Barbara voiced her concerns that there also might be young children.

"Not at her age." Tommy said.

"Ah, well, one can never know and even at her age of 44 everything could become more difficult but not completely impossible."

He looked at her as if he was going to ask her if she still planned on having children. To her relief he did not but diverted his eyes back to the street in front of them. His expression though had looked as if he even was about to apologise for his unspoken question. "You're right." he only said.

For Barbara it had become quite hot inside his car. One of her deepest and best hidden teenagerish fantasy to get married and raise a family with him suddenly had crawled to the surface after it had been stowed away in the furthermost corner of her silly brain for years. Secretly she pinched her thigh to remind herself that she had to tuck it away again as soon and quick as possible.

"Children of any age, even if they were already adult, would be bad. Bringing these kinds of message always is the hardest part." Barbara sighed. For heaven's sake, she thought, they were here to solve a case of murder. They were not here to solve her case of being in love with her boss.

Lynley harrumphed. A brief image of Barbara chasing little dark haired boys in the back garden of his house had flashed through his mind. He did not know where this had come from again. He thought he had his unrealistic mind under control. When he had been in one of his drinking periods he had thought about Barbara and a shared future very often. That's why he almost had lost her. Torn between guilt, relief and shame he had pushed her away for his own sanity, thus making everything even more difficult. Only lately he felt that their proximity had increased again and foolishly he had regained hope. One of them only had to make the first step across the invisible line between them. He knew it. He also knew that it surely was _his_ obligation.

* * *

"Here we are, aren't we?" Barbara pointed at a two-storey house with peaked roof. The front garden was small, not very neat and it was surrounded by a simple wire fence. The paint at the walls should have been renewed a few years ago and the windows should have been cleaned rather sooner than later. She mumbled a sarcastic "How inviting."

"There, there, a bit biased, are we?"

"I try not to be, Sir, but when I see such a clichéd appearance of a house..."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	15. The Hardest Task

**.**

 **The Hardest Task**

 **.**

* * *

They knocked. Then they rang the bell. A minute went by and they almost thought about leaving and returning with a professional door opener but then it was opened from inside. With the chain fixed it was just a crack. The face of a man showed up.

"Huh?" it grunted.

DI Lynley and DS Havers held up their warrant cards and introduced themselves.

"Are you Mr Pentally?"

Mr Pentally nodded. His expression still was wary.

"Can we come in, Sir? I'm afraid that we have to talk to you."

Narrowed eyes went down to Frizzles who stood wagging his tail. "Not with the dog. I'm phobic."

The detectives exchanged a look and a nod and so Barbara brought him back into the car although she did not exactly like leaving him there. She left the front window open. Then the clank of the door chain was heard and the man let them inside.

"What brings you here, detectives?" he asked.

"Are you married to Rosalie Pentally?"

Mr Pentally nodded and scuffled to the living room with an open plan kitchen. "Unfortunately yes. Can I get you some coffee? Or tea?"

Lynley and Havers followed. "No thank you."

* * *

They recognised a dog's leash in the open wardrobe and exchanged another one of their telling looks. The surroundings inside were subjected to a quick scan by their professional eyes. Everything looked rather old and older. The furniture was slightly used, the corridor's floor boards could have used a new waxing if not a complete cover by a carpet. Only the carpet in the living room seemed to be new. At the antique table stood one old and two bright new chairs. An empty vase stood on it in the middle. On a light brown bookshelf, matching the wall unit but not the actual fashion, there stood a few tennis trophies blinking in the light that came through the windows. They appeared to be the only regularly cleaned things around here. A football certificate was displayed at the wall but there were no photos at all. Mr Pentally did not look very sporty, Barbara wondered.

In the kitchen a brand new super modern coffee machine just started to roar loudly with its grinder. Pentally stood there perched against the worktop and crossing his arms in front of his chest when the detectives entered a few seconds later.

"When was the last time you've seen her?"

"Who?"

"Err... your wife..."

"Mh..." The man still fidgeted with the coffee machine. "Don't know... 'bout a week ago? Or was it two?"

With surprise Barbara saw him shrugging.

"We're not... well, we're just married on paper nowadays." Mr Pentally murmured. "I Don't care where she's gone to this time. What has she done? Something illegal?" A naughty grin accompanied his last words.

"Sir, we have to bring you the message that we've found a dead woman and as far as we know it probably was your wife."

Apparently unfazed Mr Pentally turned around. "Aha?"

* * *

Barbara swallowed. She always disliked it when somebody, as distanced they had come over the years, was inaffected by such bad news. Behind the back of the man Lynley and Havers exchanged another look. She slightly tilted her head showing him that she was not quite sure what to think of him. A quick twitch of his eyebrows, invisible for others, indicated that he agreed but they should keep their minds open for everything. The corner of Barbara's lips, imperceptibly but for him quirking down, told of her disagreement. Their silent conversation only took them one or two seconds.

"Our condolences, Mr Pentally." Lynley said.

"Yes, thank you."

"We've found a ring on her finger but I see you're not wearing one."

"Yes, Ma'am." Pentally turned to DS Havers and waved his hand with spread fingers. "I don't wear it any longer. Why should I? Our marriage was in ruins. It was just a question of time until she would sign the bloody divorce papers. Don't know why she hasn't already."

"May I ask if you have children?" Barbara tried to sound polite.

"We haven't. And that's good." Hearing the victim's husband talk like that made Tommy feel angry and hurt. Barbara saw him narrowing his eyes. She quickly had to change the subject.

"Do you have a dog?" Havers asked casually but with the best innocence she could show. "Or _did_ you have... I've seen a leash at the wardrobe."

"It's my w... it _was_ my dear wife's." Angrily narrowed eyes shot flames towards the Sergeant. "She has one. Had. Despite me being phobic. Yeah, nice, isn't it?"

"Oh."

"Yes, Oh!" Pentally imitated her voice with a grim expression.

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Sir." Lynley put himself into the conversation again.

"Ah, well, it seems I finally got rid of it, huh?" It sounded more as if he was talking about his wife. "When she had left the house she had taken him with her."

* * *

"I see. Mr Pentally, there's something else. Do you know this hut?" Although the man did not seem very interested in the whereabouts of the place of discovery Lynley showed him a picture of the hut before and after it had burnt down. It was only briefly looked at.

"Nah." When he turned his attention back to the detectives his expression still seemed ignorant but something had crossed his mind. "So, I suppose you've found her there?"

"That's right."

"So she's... burnt... to death?"

"Unfortunately so. Yes."

"Mh." Mr Pentally stared a hole into the air.

"I'm sorry we can't just ask you to identify her, so you might be so kind and give us a hairbrush from your wife or something where we could take a DNA-sample from. Is that possible?"

"Yah, sure."

"And if you later could pay a visit to the next police station? We need your fingerprints just to rule out that you've been there. I'm sorry to ask for it but I hope you do understand that it's only routine."

Pentally nodded. "I understand."

"You can go to any police station and tell them I've sent you." Lynley explained and gave his police business card. "Just tell them it's for the burnt hut case. They'll know. Modern devices keep us connected nowadays."

"Sure."

* * *

Since he made no move to get the hairbrush Lynley had to ask him again. Pentally showed signs of annoyance but finally moved.

"Oh, and can I use your bathroom please?" Sergeant Havers asked before Pentally had left the kitchen. She gave Lynley a firm glare. Lynley groaned. It was their meanwhile perfected game of 'male detective is annoyed about the female detective's weak bladder'. He knew what she was up to.

"Yep. First door left to the entrance."

Barbara rummaged through her bag until she could hear Pentally's feet on the stairs before she went to the leash at the wardrobe. She did not have to look for long until she had her hair sample and scurried to the loo. After hearing Mr Pentally returning downstairs she stayed there for a while to give the men the chance to have a bit more private conversation. Some men tend to be more open to male detectives.

* * *

"Did your wife have a job?" Lynley asked after he had put the brush into a plastic bag.

"She's a waitress." Pentally gave the name and the address of the restaurant.

"What are _you_ doing?"

"Work?"

Lynley nodded.

"I work for an estate-agent. Ben Asisi and Sons. In Oxford."

"It's an hour's drive, isn't it?"

" 'bout fifty minutes by car. 't's ok."

Lynley sighed. "Ah yes, that's manageable."

"Of course I have not such a monster of ATV like you have." The Landrover the Met officers had burrowed was all but a monster car. It was small and light and best for driving through the woods or on gravel tracks. The tyres of course were lugged and rather big.

"Well, on these gravel tracks they have there we'd have problems without it. You have a...?

"Honda Civic. Twenty years and still driving."

"Nothing like a classic car, huh?" Lynley tried to joke but Pentally's expression stayed blank. "Right, back to your wife. You've seen her when exactly?"

* * *

"What a displeasing man." Barbara sighed when they were driving away from Mr Pentally. Lynley steered the car onto the A44. They would have to make a detour to Oxford because they needed results for their hair samples as soon as possible. She already had called Lafferty to bring his connections to bear and announce them at the local SOCO lab there. Apart from his suspiscious calmness, or rather numbness, Mr Pentally had not given them any new hint for their case. A visit to the restaurant Mrs Pentally had worked at had turned out to be useless because due to some renovations it was closed. That's why Mr Pentally had voiced his assumption his wife had left for a holiday.

"The reactions to a close - or, I agree, _not_ so close - person's death differ, Barbara."

"I know that, Tommy." Her vioce had been soft and she was quite surprised herself. She could hardly hold back her hand from stroking his upper arm but they exchanged a knowing look. His heart had skipped a beat.

"Just wait what we learn from the Oxford lab. While we drive there you could feed the Connex."

Barbara groaned. She had learned to dislike typing on the touchscreen. "Did she have a car? A red one maybe, or a Golf Cabriolet?"

"Pentally said she generally was using public transport."

"Ah, what a pity."

"We'll have to check his employment. Make a note, will you?"

"And I'll ask Winston to check Pentally. Maybe he'll find more skeletons in his cupboard than just a ruined marriage."

"Although it could be enough to fly off the handle."

"Sir!" Barbara reproached him.

"Just saying..." Tommy sighed.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	16. Colleagues

**.**

 **Colleagues**

 **.**

* * *

DI Lynley and DS Havers drove into a bay in the car park of the Oxford CID's lab. Lafferty had sent them the way there and managed to call the porter so they would be allowed to get in. Again Frizzles had to stay in the car of course. He put his chin onto the lowered window and watched his humans leaving towards the building.

At the wheelchair ramp a lanky blond man in a dark suit leaned against the railing and smoked as if he knew exactly that he should not. His eyes curiously followed Lynley and Havers from the car to the entrance and when he nodded a silent greeting his lips were curling into a gentle sneer.

" 'evening." Barbara mumbled.

"Ma'am. Sir." The man nodded again.

Inside the lab, Lafferty also had known which corridor and which door they had to take and so they had found their way quickly, an elder man introduced himself as DI Lewis.

"DI Lynley and DS Havers from the Met." Lynley answered. "We're here to meet with Dr Hobson."

In that moment said pathologist entered the lab with a Manila folder in her hands, reading but raising her head when she got aware of DI Lewis leaning against one of the two empty mortuary slabs. "Robbie, I've told you the PM will take- oh. Hello." Her fond smile turned professionally polite. "Scotland Yard, I presume? I'm Dr Laura Hobson."

They shook hands. Lafferty already had announced them and had turned on his charm so Dr Hobson immediately agreed on inserting their urgent order to the daily schedule. Lynley would get the results the next day, first thing in the morning.

"I know that you're in a hurry but although my assistants will work at it as soon as I've given them the samples they can't do miracles. And the longer we talk the longer it will take until they have these." Dr Hobson waved the evidence bags through the air with a cheeky smile.

"Could you send the results to our Connex?" Havers asked.

Dr Hobson's face lit up even more. "Of course. We use them here too. Nice handy things, these new devices. Although not everybody exactly likes to use them."

She graced DI Lewis with a winking grin. He glared back but could not suppress his own smile.

"Well." he said defensively. "Some may prefer the old fashioned personal contact."

Something between them seemed to sizzle.

* * *

Having everything arranged Tommy and Barbara went back to their car.

"They're an item." she whispered when they walked past the inside windows to Dr Hobson's lab.

"Oh, are they?" Tommy was amused. "And you presume that because...?"

"It's obvious. Haven't you seen the looks they've exchanged?"

The blond man from the entrance had just passed them on his way into the lab and although they had been quietly murmuring he obviously had heard enough. Before he opened the door he gave a short snorting laugh.

Barbara turned her head and earned a wink from the young man and a cheeky nod in Tommy's direction. She blushed and she was glad that her boss had not been able to see it.

"We also exchange looks." Giving her a meaningful look Tommy started the engine of the car.

"Yes, but..." Barbara bit her bottom lip and diverted her look out of the side window. "Well, _they_ are."

* * *

It was a silent way back. Once more they went grocery shopping in Oxford and then drove back to their cottage in Wychwood Mallow. In their HQ the white board was filled with a lot of new information before they had dinner. Winston had sent the results from his research.

 _ROSALIE PENTALLY , 49, Chipping Norton, (dog with her?), work: The Mill Inn, closed_  
 _Pentally, 51, Oxford - husband (divorce papers) - indifferent, grumpy, hates dogs - (work: Ben Asisi and sons, Oxf)_

She circled a few things and Pentally's company. They still had to pay a visit. There still was a lot of background facts to be checked but she could not get rid of the feeling that they all would lead to nothing. It was frustrating.

Like almost every evening Tommy cooked, chicken this time, with rice and a salad, while Barbara scribbled down their findings. One or the other time he appeared behind her, bringing her a glass of white wine which she drank with pleasure, much to her own surprise, or just commenting on her griffonage. He was wearing a kitchen towel around his waist and his sleeves were pulled up. Barbara enjoyed that sight. She realised she would not want to have it any other way than this and if he would again be asking her to move in with him she was not so sure she could find reasonable objections not to do so.

* * *

"A penny?"

"Huh?" Barbara jerked.

"You've been staring at the board for a couple of minutes. I've been watching you." Tommy smiled.

"You've...? Ah, well, no, it's... I only wonder what sort of women let themselves be... umm... well, _brought_ to a hut in the woods by such a man like Pentally." She was blushing so deep that Tommy was not buying her words. She definitely had not been thinking about Pentally but he left it at that. "Desperately in need, probably." she added murmuring.

"Love is a strange thing." he somehow wistfully sighed.

They stared at each other for a couple of stretching moments. But just when Tommy opened his mouth and inhaled to say something the oven clock's sharp ringing cut the silence.

"We can eat in a few moments." he croaked and abruptly turned. He was confused. He could not say why he was so hesitant. He never had been before. Only this time he was not able to tell the woman he loved that he loved her. Maybe it was their deep friendship and he was afraid he would again misread his own emotions. Maybe he was misreading her signs. Or maybe he was just being a coward. Opening the oven he asked across his shoulder "So you think it was Pentally... umm... on his _clandestine rendezvous_ in the hut?"

"If you want to put it like that... But yes. I'd say, Jason's description matches him completely."

* * *

Tommy had not seen the tremble of Barbara's hand when she had put away the marker. He was not able to hear the deep silent sigh she had made before she had answered. Barbara was disappointed and still slightly agitated. She had tried to force him with her thoughts to close the distance between them and kiss her. Everything that had radiated from him had felt as if he had been about to do so. Or she just had misinterpreted the tension that had hung in the air a few moments ago. Or she just had had to make that step and give more specific signs. Mentally she banged her head against the white board.

Dinner was pleasant. Nothing more, nothing less. The meal was wonderful, that was beyond all question, but their conversation was flat. It was all business and rather strained. Only when they walked the dog their closeness returned in its usual way. When they were already on their way back to the cottage they walked arm in arm again and talked about dogs and cars and cooking and together they wondered how a marriage could end in indifference. Although her name was not dropped Barbara instinctively knew that Tommy was mainly talking about his own marriage with Helen. Tommy talked a lot during their walk.

* * *

They decided to go to bed early today. When Barbara returned from the bathroom Tommy caught her letting Frizzles into her bedroom. He smiled.

"Hadn't we agreed on not letting him in there?"

"He's alone. And he found his way through the open door on his own the first night he was sleeping here. I'm not to blame."

It was not exactly the truth and he knew it but the disarming smile Barbara gave him melted Tommy's heart.

"But you shouldn't let him into your bed." he softly advised. "He'll never would want to sleep anywhere else."

"And here I was thinking I am the one with green eyes." A sudden wave of courage prompted her to stand on tip-toes and pull at his collar to give his blushing cheek a kiss. "Good night, Tommy."

He was rooted to the spot. He had not expected her being so bold. But before Tommy could react properly she already had vanished behind her bedroom door.

"Good night, Barbara." His sighed whisper stayed unheard. "Tomorrow is another day."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	17. Day 8 - Test Results

.

 **Day 8 - Test Results  
**

.

* * *

When Lynley came down the next morning the Connex already awaited him with its blinking light indicating there were some news on it. Although he was entirely curious he made coffee and a proper full English breakfast without reading these news first. He wanted to check on it together with Barbara because it could be a huge step forward in their investigations. Hopefully the results were there and hopefully they would lead them on.

A prodding nose at his thigh announced that Barbara would be down in a few minutes, following Frizzles who had run down the stairs already. After he had givven the dog his morning cuddles Tommy finished setting the table and filled a mug with her beloved black brew. Once again he realised that he had come to get used to do that even after only a week and he still did it with joy. He had come to love this sleepy, grumpy, soft and comfortable breakfast time with Barbara.

A sudden memory of his wife Helen struck him. He seldomly had done that much of cooking for her. Nowadays he knew that she had had all the rights to be jealous of Barbara. He had spent more lunchbreaks and quick pub dinners with his Sergeant than with his own wife. Briefly he felt guilty for that. He should have seen it back then already but he had not. In retrospect his marriage to Helen had not been the right thing to do at all. They had loved each other for some time but it had not been enough to get married. Also getting back together had not been the best thing they could have done, he knew now, but one thing he still missed was the chance to realise it in time that he felt more for Barbara than he ever had admitted, that he had not felt enough love for Helen, and maybe she not for him either, and most of all he still missed having the chance to sort it all out with Helen in time.

* * *

"A penny?" Barbara's cheerful voice was heard from behind. Tommy turned and saw her sipping at the steaming mug. She had caught him staring out of the window. He had not heard her coming into the kitchen.

"Ah, I just..." Involuntarily his hand went through the lock of his hair and he saw her face soften with the strangely loving smile she only ever gave him and nobody else. "We... umm... we have news on the Connex." Inwardly he kicked himself for still not daring to brush the topic. Did it really always had to become evening before they were able to talk and act open?

Barbara cocked her head wondering why he still was staring at her. "What does it say?"

"I don't know. I wanted to open it with you so we can cheer together."

"Yah, or despair together." She rolled her eyes.

"Everything is better when it's done together." The expression with which he looked at her was serious.

Barbara stared at him. What did he mean now?

[CALONG]

The toaster set the bread free with a loud sound and ended the moment of sparkling awkwardness. As if nothing strange had happened they returned to their daily business of having breakfast together and then turned their attention to the case.

* * *

The burnt body really was Mrs Pentally. The DNA tests proved it. It also was in fact Frizzles' hair Barbara had picked from the leash which meant that Mr Pentally had not told them the entire truth. The detectives would have to get back to him as soon as possible, and for safety reasons they should take the uniformed colleagues with them this time. They also would be useful for another task in Pentally's neighbourhood.

The local officers waited at the kerb while DI Lynley and DS Havers went to the door with Frizzles on his leash. This time the detectives would take him inside with them and watch Pentally's reactions, or the reactions of Frizzles coming back to his former home.

They rang once. They rang twice. And they just had rung a third time when the door opened revealing a rather out of breath Mr Pentally.

"Oh, the detectives. Hello." He made no move to ask them in.

"Mr Pentally." Lynley greeted him. "Can we come in please?"

"Not with the dog. I told you I-"

"We know it's yours."

"It isn't!" he insisted.

"Yes, it's your wife's dog. It's right that it's not yours personally but this is his home. And still, finding out the truth about the dog had raised a couple of questions we'd like to go through with you and I suggest we do that inside your house." DI Lynley's grim expression tolerated no dissent.

* * *

Pentally eyed the dog closely and apparently was thinking how he could avoid letting the dog in but he opened the door another bit more. It was a chance. Barbara let Frizzles off his leash and the dog darted through the half opened door past the legs of his original owner's husband. Followed by Barbara he ran straight into the kitchen where he sniffled around in a corner that looked as if it once had been the place where he had been fed. There was no longer a bowl of course but Frizzles sat down anyway and expectantly looked at the people who had followed him.

"He was fed here, wasn't he?" Barbara sharply asked. Pentally nodded. "Why did you lie to us?"

"Well, I... I haven't seen him clearly at your first visit. I just saw a dog. You know, that's all a phobic needs to see. Plus I thought Rose had taken him with her and I was glad she did. I would not want him back. It was _hers_. I'm fu**ing phobic! Is it so hard to understand that? No matter what _she_ thought about it. Now could you please put him on that fu**ing leash again?"

"Mr Pentally, I have to insist that we are talking like civilised people. Thank you." Barbara said through gritted teeth. She ignored Pentally's wish to see the dog leashed.

Frizzles eventually had decided he would not get any food here so he had walked down the corridor and now was eagerly scratching at a wooden door under the stairs.

"What's in there?" Lynley asked and while he already opened the unlocked door Pentally replied that there were bags and suitcases in it.

"And his bloody toy."

Barbara took it from the shelf inside and Frizzles almost went crazy out of joy. While she gave the ragged doll to the dog Lynley spoke with the victim's husband. "You know I have to ask for your alibi, Mr Pentally."

* * *

The addressed crossed his arms in front of his chest in a defensive gesture. "For what time?"

"Thursday and Friday the week before last."

"Phew!" Pentally looked as if he was trying to recall every second of those days. "That's more than one week ago..."

He looked at two stony-faced detectives and his own expression showed them that he knew he should better give a good answer or this interview will be continued at the station.

"Well..." he slowly started with a thinking look. "Thursday noon after lunch my boss sent me home because there were no more appointments that day. We've had two cancellations. Then I came to my house... Then I went to bed to have a nap. Eventually I heard Rose coming home - I've already slept and that stupid dog had barked. Don't ask me what time that was. Four? ...maybe five o'clock? Later she left, not without yelling loudly through the house."

"What did she say?"

"Err... she called me a lazy sod, insulted me as usual and she mumbled something I didn't understand. I still don't care what it was... Oh, and she slammed the door."

"About what time?"

"I fu**k-" Lynley raised an eyebrow so Pentally lowered his tone. "I really didn't bother to look at my watch when she'd left. How could I know it would become important, huh?"

"What did you do then?"

"I watched TV. I ate a sandwich. I drove to the supermarket to get me some booze. I came home. I boozed."

"And your wife did not come back?"

"Nope."

"And you weren't concerned that something might have happened?" Barbara asked.

"Not at all. You know, Ma'am, I shouldn't talk bad about her, now that she's dead, but that doesn't bring love back into my last days of marriage."

"Had somebody seen you at the supermarket?"

"Yes, sure, there were quite a lot of people shopping but I don't think they'd remember any other customer. Not even the young fellow at the cash desk would recognise me. He had hardly looked up."

"Did you have visitors later who might confirm your... boozing?"

"No, Sir, unfortunately not."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	18. The Truth

**.**

 **The Truth**

 **.**

* * *

Lynley and Havers talked for another several minutes before they left Pentally's house. While they had been inside the uniformed officers had gone bell ringing in the closer neighbourhood. Now they had some news for the detectives so after a few minutes of briefing the detectives they went back and rang the door bell again. This time Pentally opened distinctively faster.

"What else?" he grumbled. "You know I would love to chat with you but I have to... sort out a few things. There will be a funeral in a bit, so you might understand that I-"

"She could not be released yet, Sir. So there's no need to hurry."

This time Lynley firmly pushed the door open and simply walked inside, Barbara and the leashed dog at his heels.

"While we've talked earlier our colleagues have made a couple of interviews with your neighbours, Mr Pentally, and I can't tell that I'm happy about what we've learned from them." Lynley talked and Havers closely watched the unimpressed widower. "They have seen you coming out of your house in the middle of the night with someone in your arms. They said you were either cuddling or rather drunk. And you drove away in your car."

"Yes, umm... I think I have to confess that they're right. Actually I've picked up someone at the supermarket. Didn't know her before but we had talked in the queue in the supermarket and decided we could drink our stuff at my home. I've brought her back to the shop where she had left her car."

"As drunk as you've been?"

"Yes, but you can't use it against me." he sounded defensive and triumphant all at once. "I've had no accident and you have no usable proof for my state."

"Why didn't you let her stay overnight?"

"I'm a married man, Ma'am."

"Umm... yes... obviously..."

Before his Sergeant could become any more sarcastic DI Lynley took over again. "And why did you lie to us again?"

"I didn't lie, I just forgot." Pentally gave a rough laugh. "You might understand that everything from that evening is a bit blurry."

* * *

While the humans talked Frizzles got bored so he started to sniff around in the living room as much as the leash's length at Barbara's hand allowed him to. The coffee table seemed to be interesting and Pentally's feet. Frightfully the man made a step backwards away from the dog but the carpet he had stood on also was an interesting thing for the dog's nose.

Somehow there was a dead end in their conversation. There was nothing else they had against Pentally and although he willingly had given them a good explanation for what his neighbours had seen that night he looked even more uncooperative than before. A casual talk about something like a carpet might brighten up his mood and make him talkative again. It was strange anyway that Frizzles still had his nose down on the fabric.

"It's a new one, isn't it?" DS Havers asked, pointing downwards with her head.

"Yes. Obviously." Pentally could be sniding too but when he saw Lynley frowning he tried to back-pedal. "The previous one was old and raddled."

"They always smell strange. I know it from when I've renovated my flat."

"Hm, it seems so."

"What's underneath? Wood or stone?" she asked ignoring Pentally's unwillingness to take part in that refurbishment conversation. Before the man could stop him Lynley already had knelt down and folded it back. Underneath there was a huge stain in the wood, only halfheartedly cleaned.

Pentally's eyes briefly flickered. He groaned. "Wood. Well, and this spot where my stupid wife had tripped over a can of oil for the heater. We've had an old heating system when we've moved in."

There was an explanation for everything, Barbara thought, but actually the stain didn't look much like oil.

"Do we find blood here, Mr Pentally?" DI Lynley asked.

Pentally answered very quick. "Surely not! I told you it's old oil!"

"So you wouldn't mind sending our SOCO team in, would you?"

"Of course not." Pentally seemed unimpressed. Apart from his hands clenching into fists. "But you could spare the costs."

"Well, they can quickly sort out what it was. There are tests for everything." DI Lynley talked and DS Havers already dialled a number on her mobile. "The easiest thing by the way is to find out if this is blood. They can even detect it when it was bleached and seemingly completely wiped. And most of the times they even find out _whose_ blood it is."

When Pentally moved just a single muscle of his leg Lynley blocked the way out of the room. There was no way the man could run away. Lynley took it as a silent confession.

"Stuart? ... Hello. Could you please be so kind and send your SOCO team to Pentally's house? I think they're still here, aren't they? ... Yes, immediately. We'll wait here. ... Mhm, thank you." Barbara put away her mobile and nodded at her boss.

They waited half an hour without saying much. The Sergeant used the time to make a call to DC Nkata. She asked him to arrange a search warrant for Pentally's house. "We might need it later, depending on what SOCO will find here."

She had gone into the corridor to make the second call but she had not even tried to mask the call or cared to talk quietly into her phone. There was no need for it anyway because Pentally already knew what awaited him.

* * *

Perhaps he had not believed DI Lynley when the Inspector had told him that SOCO would find out what the stain was or Pentally was too stupid. Just a few dashes of the spray and a wipe test had revealed that it actually was blood on the floor. Without a word Barbara handed them one of the tennis trophies that, being a modern sculpture, could have acted as the weapon. The young man in his white overall poked into a gap with a cotton bud and nodded. He had found remnants of blood at the modern sculpture. Lab tests surely would confirm that it was the victim's but that was not necessary in that moment. It was not even necessary to bring Pentally to the station to interview him properly. The trophy slid into an evidence bag and it was enough to make Pentally break down.

"Yes! Fu**ing yes!" he cried out before somebody had mentioned anything. Quickly thinking Barbara grabbed the tape recorder from one of the SOCO members who had made audio notes with it and hit the record button. They would not have to let Mr Pentally repeat what he was about to say. They would not give him the chance to deny later what he might say now.

DS Havers quickly said the date and time and then recorded the widower. Grunting and angrily pacing the room under close observation by the uniformed officers who had entered the house with the SOCO team Pentally offered a waterfall of confessions and explanations which this time appeared to be true. He told them that he and his wife had had an argument about nothing, like they recently often had, and it had turned into a real fight with harsh and harsher words until she confessed to him that she actually did have an affair.

"I was numb. I suddenly became as cold as ice. And when Rose laughed and told me he was much more a man than I am I just grabbed the first thing I could reach, turned and bopped her on the head with it. She fu**ing deserved it! That whore!"

Rosalie Pentally had gone to the ground, her husband told them, and had been lying there for a while, horribly bleeding and unconscious. For a while he just had left her lying there. He had indifferently opened a bottle of beer and drunk it before he sat her slack body upright, put her into one of his hoodie sweaters and then brought her to his car. He had made sure that it had looked as if they had been drunk. Pentally also had made sure that it had looked as if he had cared for the woman. He had tenderly caressed her cheek and even fastened her seatbelt before he drove away.

Pentally knew the hut because he had been there once or twice. "For a little shag, you know. Something that shitty wife of mine had not allowed me anymore." He made a pause oviously realising that he had done exactly the same like his wife. It visibly amused him.

"Go on." Barbara grunted before her anger about his lascivious grin would rise to a point she would not be able to withstand the urge to punch his nose.

"I've prepared the grounds there. I've rummaged a bit through everything and let her lie there as if it had happened in the hut. I wasn't thinking much in that moment. Only how to get rid of that dry cow."

"Was she dead by then?" Lynley icily asked.

Pentally shrugged. "Don't know. I actually didn't care. I only drove home because I had to clean up the mess here."

When that had been done, he said into the recorder, and he had opened another beer he had realised that his wife had lost an enormous amount of blood and it was not pooling around her body in the hut. Nobody who would have found her would think she had been killed there so he quickly drove back to the little wood. In his garage there had been a petrol canister he had taken with him and he had emptied it completely. Over the body, over the chair cushions, over the rug on the floor. He had lit a match and in seconds everything was burning ablaze.

"It was a wonderful thing to watch." Pentally sighed with dreamy eyes. "All my problems seemed to go up in smoke." Then his expression darkened. "Only her fu**ing dog wouldn't want to get back into the car. When he ran into the woods and didn't come back, as hard as I allured him, I thought I should let him go. I thought he wouldn't survive more than two days on his own, without her care, without her feeding him, without her pampering him more than she did pamper her husband."

Pentally's foot missed Frizzles only millimetres when he tried to kick the dog. "Stop that!" Barbara shouted at him. With a much more calmer voice she spoke into the recorder. "Mr Pentally had tried to kick the dog."

"I knew this bloody dog would be my doom one day." he grumbled when the handcuffs closed around his wrists.

"Michael Pentally," DI Lynley said with his police voice. "I arrest you under ther strong suspicion of murdering your wife, Mrs Rosalie Pentally." He went on with the usual sayings and finished with mentioning that they have enough evidence and his confession on a police tape recorder. "Do you want to call your solicitor or shall we-"

"Ah, f**k off, rich kid!"

Lynley grimly smiled. "I count that as a no. Get him away, gentlemen. We'll sort that out at the station, when Mr Pentally has calmed down a bit."

They nicked him in and he made no efforts to deny what he had done to his wife. At the police station Pentally knew he would not get out of this sort of premises for quite a long time.

* * *

 **.**

 **...**


	19. Wrap it up

**.**

 **Wrap it up**

 **.**

* * *

Although it was Saturday and he usually never dropped by here in Wychwood Market on Saturdays even the Superintendent came around to see who that man was that had burned down his beloved hut. He had no hatred for Pentally and he was not here to see him roasting in the interview room but since it had been his hut and the complete local CID had been excluded from the investigations he finally wanted to know about it all and get involved in the last pieces of work. He also was entirely glad that the crime had nothing to do with him or one of his officers.

After they had fixed the arrest they called a video conference with London because in the meantime Hillier already had been informed by his friend Grover and now also was eager to learn more. The AC of the Met, DC Nkata and even Dr Lafferty joined in, as well as DCI Baker and SI Grover here in Wychwood and DI Lynley and DS Havers of course. The leading detectives gave a brief report about their own findings and how the jaws of Rosalie Pentally finally had led them towards her husband where Frizzles had done the rest of the job. Although the little film on facebook did not lead to anything helpful they all agreed that it had been a brilliant idea to use the internet and the professional online journal. Lafferty was made the Superintendent's new hero but contrary to his usual habit of showing off and much to the Met's detective's surprise the pathologist talked it down.

"Ah, well," he said with still a smug grin on his face. "I'm just one small cog wheel in this well oiled team at the Met and we'd be nothing if one of us would be missing. One couldn't do without the others. I need my lab team, Barbara needs Winnie, Lynley needs Havers and vice versa..." Stuart winked into the camera and Barbara was sure he would have poked his elbow into her ribcage if he only would have been present. She blushed because she knew what he was referring to and that the pathologist was watching her via the internet. Briefly she looked at Tommy who had a strange expression when he looked back at her. Their eyes caught and immediately Barbara felt as if everybody must be hearing her heart beat speeding up. The look they exchanged only was a fragment of a second long before they looked at the screen again and subsequently avoided their eyes. Tommy could not agree more that he needed Barbara. He smiled tightlipped at the monitor where Lafferty went on with his speech superficially talking about work. "...and Sir Hillier had needed his best team to do his friend a favour but in fact I'd rather say it was Frizzles' brilliant nose that finally had caught our murderer."

They all nodded and laughed. The pathologist was right.

* * *

"Speaking of which..." Sir Hillier called for attention. "We should make another film with the dog, thanking the public. Like you did before, Sergeant Havers. We should do this soon but maybe only after we've found him a new home? Or better: a new family! Dogs and kids are good advertising media. You know, telling the public that we've successfully managed to solve another crime, and that we've even managed to find a new home for this poor dog. Of course that'll be done only after you've returned to London and had your days off after paperworks."

They all shared a polite laugh about Hillier's jovial reminder but Barbara was shocked and kept quiet. She knew they had to give Frizzles away eventually. But she had not thought it would happen so soon and parts of her even still hoped for a miracle so she would not have to give him to somebody else at all. In this short time she had had him in her life she had come to love him deeply and although she knew of course that she would never be able to care for him on her own she would love to keep Frizzles forever with her.

While Sir Hillier still talked about boring public relations Barbara searched for Tommy's eyes. He looked similarly concerned and sad. It raised Barbara's hope to find another solution for Frizzles' situation. Then Tommy frowned. His expression turned quizzical as if he was asking her if she thought the same. If she thought they would manage to keep the dog. He tilted his head slightly and raised a questioning, an almost challenging eyebrow. Once more he realised that his offer she should move in with him actually had been a serious offer. It would also answer the question where the dog should live from now on.

Barbara's eyes widened and she leaned back pondering on the possibility to try to work out something together with Tommy and Frizzles. Then she diverted her attention back to the screens. The almost invisible shrug and the approving smile playing in the corners of her lips made Tommy look forward to their discussion on how they would solve the doggy problem. Together they definitely would find a solution that would please all of them. Maybe it would not please Hillier and his plans for making a public relation matter out of it.

Without words they had said so much in just a couple of seconds but all other people around them, especially of course those in London, were oblivious to their silent conversation.

The most pleased grin appeared on Tommy's lips.

And on Lafferty's.

* * *

After the conference that ended in common consent and many polite words DI Lynley and DS Havers still had some of said paperwork to do. There was a huge stack of forms to be filled in and reports to be written and to top it all their new electronical device named Connex was not compatible with the old local computer system. There was a lot of work to do.

"That was irritatingly easy in the end." Havers summed it up.

"Yes. You just have to find the mistake they've made and then everything follows on its own."

"He still could have said it had been an accident. I mean, he was lying so much, why not this time?"

Lynley laughed. "Don't ask me. I try to avoid to lie. It's only followed by more lies."

"And you have to remember them all. And the truth. It's too much work." She snorted a laugh.

For a long while they were engrossed in their respective tasks. Lynley typed the electronical data into the old computer and Havers enjoyed the old way of paperwork. She was just writing down the short version of the killing.

Barbara finally shook her head and stared at her words. "Just like that?"

"Hm?" Tommy suddenly realised he had watched her for several moments without typing. His mind had been far away in a happy and easy universe when she had ripped him from that other world.

"I said, just like that?" Barbara repeated. "Just a simple argument and then... the axe? Well, or the tennis trophy... But... Anyway, just kill her and go on with normal life?"

"Well..." What should he say. She was right. It was intangible for decent thinking minds.

"Only because they've grown apart? Terrible..."

"Unfortunately those things happen, Barbara." Tommy still looked at her. "Only it usually won't end with a murder. Otherwise we'd have a lot more work to do."

"But..." Barbara paused thinking but then shook her head. "Well, you don't _kill_ people you've loved once. If it ends like this there must have been something wrong from the start."

* * *

Tommy thought about the two previous big loves of his life. He had genuinely loved Deborah and Helen. He only had not wanted to confess when these loves had ended. He had acted like a stupid fool when it was over but there was no denying that he had loved them once and at some point this love had vanished somehow. It had happened without a brass band announcing it. There surely also was no guarantee that it would not happen with the love he was feeling for Barbara. He could only hope. He sighed.

"You know, it's not necessarily so, Barbara. I think in the beginning it's always the one and only true love. And that's good. And of course there are couples who share this for the rest of their lives. One should never stop believing that it isn't out there somewhere. But, as deep it may be in the beginning, there is no guarantee it will always be like that. Love isn't always that neverending roaring firestorm of the first days. I'm talking about a positive fire of course." They both gave a laugh. "I know what I'm talking about." he sighed. "Sometimes the fire burns on forever but sometimes the spark only lights a small fire that's quickly - or sometimes not so quickly - distinguished."

"Yes, maybe that's true." Despite the serious and disturbing topic of their conversation Barbara had to grin. "And by the way, Tommy, it's an inept analogy, you do realise that, don't you?"

Leaning back on his chair Tommy grinned. He liked that conversation and he was only shortly away from getting closer and snuggle his nose into the curly hair behind her ear, slowly trying to convince her that kissing would be a good idea. Feed the spark he felt flickering inside and make the fire burn properly. Right now, right here. He had talked too much stupid stuff about love and ending love and never ending love. He had to show her that he believed that what he felt for her right now was not only never ending but lasting even longer. He sighed. "Well, apart from the fact that one shouldn't react like Pentally in an argument, it is possible that they have grown apart unrecognised. It could happen like this. As it definitely could happen the other way round."

* * *

Barbara was slightly distracted by an unknown form she had to fill in. Something that they at the Met surely had used in the sixties for the last time. "What do you mean, the other way round?"

"Well... One could easily fall in love without recognising it for a long time." He had said it casually but his heart was beating faster. Barbara looked up from her papers and tried to read his expression. It was open, a bit tentatively asking and definitely indicating he was not talking generalised about the topic. He was talking about what had obviously happened between them while they were here in Wychwood. About what seemed to be still happening between them.

"I don't think so." she croaked. "One will recognise it very soon."

"How so?" Tommy's voice was soft and dark. He wanted to encourage her to tell him what she felt. He had the vague idea it would mirror his own feelings.

"Well, that's easy." Barbara looked anywhere but into his eyes. "One will recognise it when they want to spend more and more if not all the time with the other one, doing thing they normally wouldn't have thought they would ever to just because the other had suggested it. Conjuring up excuses to be with each other, searching for proximity where it is not really necessary or sometimes even not really appropriate to get closer. And even touch. When you stop pretending it's an accidental touch... It's obvious that one is in love when missing the other the second he leaves the room becomes regular habit. When dreams start haunting, giving pain and pleasure at the same time and offering the only way to give in to the longing inside. When you want these dreams to become real. You recognise it when you do little things for each other, or bigger things, when you relax in each other's presence completely..."

She finally looked up from her desk finding Tommy's eyes darker than ever when they looked into hers. She knew he knew she had been talking about her own growing feelings, about how their relationship had grown closer. Maybe this was not the most romantic place in the world but maybe it was the right time to finally tell him what she felt for him. Tommy definitely looked as if he was feeling something similar. If she was not going to say it he would.

"Barbara, we-"

"Well, well, here you are, already back at work! Congratulations, Lynley! Sergeant!"

Their heads dashed apart.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	20. Last Evening

**.**

 **Last Evening**

 **.**

* * *

"Well, well, here you are, already back at work! Congratulations, Lynley! Sergeant!" DCI Baker had appeared out of nothing. Of course he had approached them not unhidden but only when he started to speak Tommy and Barbara finally recognised him. They had been in another universe for a couple of moments.

Their heads had dashed apart.

DI Lynley forced a polite smile onto his face. In fact he was very angry that Baker had dropped by. He had been about to tell her they should leave the office because he wanted to talk to her in private. His mood was not getting better when he saw Barbara's reaction. She appeared to him as if she was happy about that interruption. Again he was beginning to question his judgement. Maybe she was not feeling what he felt and he had read too much into her words. In one moment he thought she mirrored his feelings and the other second she seemed to be unimpressed by what he thought had been a magical connection.

On the surface he was right though. But deep inside Barbara was agitated. She was completely surprised by Baker's appearance and would not want him to take part in the magic moment that had been sizzling between Tommy and her so she overplayed her trembling nerves with displaying too much of cheerfulness towards the DCI.

It would be hard to get back to their previous conversation but for now they had to endure Baker's refreshed speech of thanks and approval. "You have a good team, Lynley. And one day I'd really like to see you investigate under my eyes. What about an officer exchange? Hm? You both come here for a while and my best men will sniff a bit of the big city atmosphere."

"That sounds alluring, Sir." Lynley politely answered. "But actually I'd love to keep Wychwood and its hamlets in mind for a holiday next time and not for work purposes."

* * *

They did not manage to continue their close talk later. There was not one single moment in which they were alone in the office. There was no way to unsuspiciously leave because there still was so much to do to wrap up the paperwork on their case so far to leave the rest to the local police officers so they could appear at court later and do the major parts there themselves. But in fact nobody had any doubts that Mr Pentally would be sent to prison for a long time.

DI Lynley and DS Havers dropped their pens and switched off their computers only late in the evening.

"I'm hungry." Barbara groaned massaging her neck.

"You're always hungry." Tommy smiled about her immediate glare of reproach and regretted that he was too far away from her to replace her hands with his without their colleagues' notice. "Shall I cook something or would you want to go to a restaurant?"

She shrugged. "Both sounds alluring."

Tommy winked. "Unfortunately the restaurant you deserve to be taken to tonight is somewhere far away so I guess I have to be your chef de cuisine once more."

"It could be worse." Barbara blessed him with a broad smile before she stacked some files and wound a rubber band around them. "Where would that special and I presume too expensive restaurant be?" she casually asked.

"Mmmh... Paris?" Tommy was amused about the shocked look she gave him.

"Yah... sure..."

"But I know a nice and cosy Italian restaurant in Rome too. It's not as exclusive as that Parisian location I have in mind but I fear Rome is even more out of reach for tonight."

"Why not on the moon, Sir?" Barbara rolled her eyes but she was grinning. The magic from earlier started to return.

"If there was a restaurant I'd take you there." Tommy honestly looked at her. He meant it. He would take her to wherever she wanted to go and the stars were where she belonged. He did not even feel soppy to think like that.

An officer taking the files from her desk spared her from the need for a remark. He also broke the spell again.

Later when they left the building and went to the car they were accompanied by their local colleagues who opted for a pint after work. Politely the Met officers declined, saying they had to get up early the next day for their drive back home to London.

Barbara did not miss the smirk on their faces.

 _As if_ that _would ever happen..._ she sadly thought.

DI Lynley had returned the police ATV earlier so now they drove back to Wychwood Mallow in his old car. Barbara realised that she had missed the smell of it. Their police car had been very new and she appreciated that certain smell of new cars but the familiar mixture of leather, petrol and Tommy's personal scent had been burnt into her memory a long time ago and every time she was driven around in the Bristol she had a calm pleasurable feeling of being at home. She really had missed it but the cosiness of their cottage while they had stayed in Wychwood Mallow had been a good surrogate.

* * *

While Barbara showered Tommy cooked. She already had packed a few things and took that shower only to prolong her stay upstairs. She feared the last evening as well as she looked forward to it. They had solved a case in the short time of one week but there were so many things going on between them they had not solved at all. This would be their last night here before they would return to London, return to every day life, return to their own separate homes. Something had to happen tonight or it never would happen, of that Barbara was sure. She was not so sure how it could happen and she would not want the rest of the evening to become embarrassing just because there was no case to be talked about if other topics would fail. Maybe Tommy would not want to talk about them.

In the kitchen everything was prepared and while Tommy packed his bags Barbara went with the dog. It would be the last walk with Frizzles here in the beautiful village of Wychwood Mallow so she even went a bit longer than planned. Tommy already awaited her in the open door to the cottage. What a wonderful sight.

"Chop chop!" he said and twirled a rolled-up kitchen towel through the air. "If you'd have been any longer the veggies would have dissolved into mush."

"And we wouldn't want that, would we?" she winked.

Fortunately they were still firm to the bite and several times Barbara repeated with a full mouth that this was the best leftover meal she had ever had. For the first time they had dinner on the small patio in the back of the house. It was a romantic setting with a stormproof candle and wine and they sat really close at the small table. Facing each other their hands almost brushed several times. Her knees bumped into his a couple of times and she apologised every time. The smiles he gave her were soft but he did nothing more and Barbara dared not to give in to the temptation to place her leg against his under the table constantly.

Being already fed Frizzles stayed inside and out of reach of the two. Somehow he sensed that this evening was different to all the other evenings. Although Tommy and Barbara kept sitting outside for a while after dinner, drinking another glass of wine and watching the sky slowly filling with little clouds, there was a certain tension in the air between them and the dog clearly felt that something was not as it should have been. They were quietly talking about the solved case and how sad some people's lifes could be. It was not the best topic to raise their mood and it was definitely not a good topic to move over to what was going on between them. Even though both knew that their relationship had switched to a deeper level while they had been here, now that they were not in the safety public or solving a case provided they apparently avoided the topic that was burning inside.

Something important still was unresolved and the dog felt it. Frizzles did not particularly like the new different and strange tension between the humans he had grown used to during the past days although it was not that kind of cruel tension he knew from his previous humans. These two here obviously both waited for the other to do something.

But neither of them did.

* * *

Tonight there would be no cosy TV watching on the couch. Without thinking about it Lynley had suggested to drive home early in the morning to avoid any homebound traffic after some school holidays Barbara had not been aware of. Many weekend travellers would return to their homes in London, Tommy had presumed, so they should get up early tomorrow. That meant they had to get to bed early tonight. And as hard as she was racking her brain Barbara could not think of any rational objections to his plan.

It was a quiet ending of their stay here and somehow the distance between them strangely had grown bigger again within a single evening. Even Frizzles did not dare to disturb them with invitations to play or cuddle. There was a chance that he had done something wrong but had forgotten, so he better kept his head on the ground throughout the evening. Only later his concerns were wiped away when Barbara let him into her room again. When she opened the door he knew that at least one of the humans still loved him.

But he also still sensed her sadness and felt sorry for her that she slept so badly. Tears of frustration, sadness and anger about herself escorted her into sleep. For a long while Frizzles listened to the sounds of her sighs and the small noises of another human wide awake in the other room. He heard him going to the toilet. Wagging his tail Frizzles pricked up his ears and expected the man to enter the room but then the hand on the wood of the door vanished and the other room's door closed again.

Frizzles sighed and laid his head down on the soft rug next to Barbara's bed like all the previous days. He surely never would understand humans.

* * *

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 **...**


	21. Sunday Morning

**.**

 **Sunday Morning**

 **.**

* * *

The next day started with a heavy rain. It clattered against the window panes and trickled down the walls. The world outside was grey and dark and it mirrored the mood inside the cottage.

Their bags had been packed the previous day already. Now there only would be breakfast and departure. Barbara got up with the same sad feeling she had gone to bed with and it almost did not really raise her mood when she found the breakfast table already set and a huge pot of coffee waiting for her.

"Morning..." she quietly mumbled. She did not feel at all like hiding her disappointment.

Tommy was not in the best of moods either. "Morning, Barbara." he sighed looking up from yesterday's papers. He folded them immediately and forced a smile into his unhappy face. Yesterday's conversations had not gone as planned and he feared he would be forever unable to voice his feelings.

They had coffee and toast with butter and jam. Originally they had planned to go grocery shopping yesterday but since Pentally had confessed everything and they knew they would leave soon there was no more need for food. The fridge was almost empty.

"Our last breakfast, hm?" Tommy eventually said. When Barbara had sat down at the table he had put the papers aside but they still did not talk much.

She just nodded. "Mhm."

"Not very bountiful, our table..."

"Well..." In fact she did not really feel like talking at all. She did not even feel like looking at him in case she would not be able to hide that she would miss this. If she had looked up she would have seen Tommy's sad eyes watching her close while he munched his toast.

* * *

He had no idea how he could cheer up her mood, or his that is, or how he could finally break the tension and say what he had to say. He missed this already. It only had been one week here in the cottage, living together almost like a couple, sharing so many wonderful moments, but it felt as if it was what they should keep for the rest of their lifes. Not only kept hidden in their hearts or stored in memories but keep it alive.

At some point he got up with a sigh.

"Did you walk the dog already?" Barbara quietly asked.

"Not yet. I thought _you_ 'd want..."

"Well, then... I'll go." She fetched the leash and called for Frizzles. In the doorway she turned. "We could-"

"I'll tidy up." Tommy had said it in the same moment she had started to suggest they could go together.

Now her shoulders slumped. "Mhm."

Barbara opened an umbrella and left the cottage to go for a stroll. This really was the last time with the adorable dog and it only made her even sadder that she was alone with Frizzles. She missed Tommy's proximity from previous walks. She could have cuddled into his side while they were searching shelter under the umbrella. The pouring rain only fed her dark frame of mind.

* * *

Returning to the house she heard Tommy rumbling upstairs. After rubbing down the dog who had become rather wet in the harsh weather outside she went up too. Frizzles followed wherever she went. They met Tommy in the corridor. He was just carrying his bag out of the bedroom.

"Hiya." he cautiously smiled. With a thud his bag dropped onto the floor.

"Hi. Ready to leave?" Barbara quietly asked.

Tommy shrugged defeated. "Well, I guess we have to."

Frizzles sniffled at Tommy's legs and nudged his thigh with his nose to get some cuddles from him.

"He's a bit wet." she said watching how affectionate Tommy ruffled Frizzles' head.

"Oh, you wild thing you." He talked to the dog. "That's a dog's life, isn't it? Yeees, you like that..."

"I'm going to miss this." Barbara sighed. Tommy looked up at her. He was about to tell her that he would be going to miss her too but then she went on and his face fell. "I'm so sad Hillier wants to give him away to a random family."

"He will choose them wisely, I hope." Then an idea came to his mind. His face lit up a tad and he winked. "Why don't _you_...?"

"No." She shook her head immediately. "I think, if it'd be one of us it should be _you_ taking him home. You're already used to have one from your youth's days. I bet you'd give him a nice new home." She thrusted the dog's leash into his hand and made a defensive step backwards.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" he doubted. Frizzles had gone back to Barbara in the moment his leash had changed hands. "Obviously he wants to stay with _you_."

* * *

With a quiet voice Tommy added that he could not blame him. It conjured a coy smile on Barbara's face and when Tommy made a step towards her she took back the leash. In that moment Frizzles turned again, this time he wanted to receive more cuddles from Tommy. If it was not such a sad moment it would have been hilarious.

"I'm not so sure about that." Barbara softly laughed. Apparently Frizzles played with them.

Looking up from the dog she met Tommy's eyes. They held their gaze and shared a long and deep look. They always had talked without words but right in this moment their silent conversation was as intense as it never had been before.

Only this time they were talking about something new. It felt as if the world had shifted just an inch to where it should be and with the knowledge they would soon leave this cottage the constant undefined sizzle between them suddenly had turned into something concrete. His head slightly tilted, his lips almost invisibly smiling and his brow just a tad raised Tommy silently asked something vague about not parting now, not parting ever. His plea almost was palpable. Barbara almost felt the question and her answer was a silent affirmation. He saw that she straightened her shoulders. Her eyes shone and beamed longing for him. She put all the love she felt for him into that look. So that he would not misunderstand her she even came one step closer. He understood very clearly.

Frizzles sensed it too. He wagged his tail looking at them when they alternated holding his leash again and their fingers brushed. It sent a shiver through them both but they dropped their hands.

* * *

"It isn't very complicated, Barbara, is it?" His voice was low.

"It depends from where you look at it, Tommy."

"I _know_ it's simple. Very simple."

"Really?" Except for the love she felt for him nothing concerning their so very different lifes seemed to be simple.

"Well, it's been a wonderful stay here, apart from work. Even _with_ work. We've successfully shared this house..." Tommy said raising his hand. Barbara also raised her hand receiving the leash from his grip but he kept touching her. His knuckles stroked the back of her still held out hand. "...morning, day, evening and... night. And always caring for Frizzles." he continued, his voice even lower now.

Boldly Barbara spread her fingers and interlinked their hands. She almost pulled him towards her.

"Can't we just..." Tommy gently pulled her closer to him. His voice was merely a whisper. "... _share_ this dog?"

Frizzles sat down and pricked up his ears. He was not sure if they were still talking about him. The tension between the humans had culminated, knowing there would be no more case related interruptions this time. Both also knew that this would be the last moment they had here. Back in London they would be at work again and live in separate places.

"That would be a bit diffcult." Barbara croaked. With their chests almost touching their heads inevitably had drawn closer together. She was going to kiss him if they only would stop talking.

"Why?" He smiled. Their faces were only inches apart. Her heart beat furiously.

"We don't share a home in London." It was a weak objection from Barbara and she knew it. She only said something to fill the silence. All she wanted was to kiss him. His lips already hovered above hers. She felt his breath in her face and the intensity of his scent hit her nostrils like a heavenly attack. Now she _knew_ for sure that they would kiss and she looked forward to it as well as she feared it. All her insides were in a happily expectant turmoil. After the sad mood of the previous evening and this morning's breakfast she had not really thought it could happen at all. And so easy at that.

"We can easily change that." Tommy breathed.

"Tommy?" she was hoarse and impatient.

"What?" he was almost inaudible.

"For heaven's s- !" She could not end her sentence telling him to stop talking. Tommy had stopped talking and closed the last distance to Barbara's lips.

* * *

They carefully kissed. Only briefly but it was so soft and felt so wonderful although they still stood a short distance apart. Their eyes still were open because both felt the need to watch each other. Barbara wanted to see how genuine this kiss was and Tommy had to know how she would react although he knew she would have ordered him to kiss her if he was not already doing so. In the end both were utterly surprised how easy it had been to overstep that border. Still looking into each others eyes they saw mirrored happiness and a cautious hesitancy but also the clear desire to repeat the gentle touch of their lips.

"But is it a good idea?" Barbara aspirated her question into his face. Tommy could feel her breath on his skin.

Instead of giving her a proper answer he simply kissed her again. This time he pressed his lips firmer onto hers and hoped she would have closed her eyes like he had. Of course Barbara was unable to resist and she was unable to not return the gentle nudge. Only in her dreams it had felt like this although she never had experienced something similar in real life. It had been nowhere near as good as this. And she knew they had not even really started. Her fingers almost crushed his hand when she felt desire bubbling to the surface but just when she was about to open her lips Tommy retreated.

"I believe it's a brilliant idea." he hoarsely murmured.

"Woof!" said Frizzles. He was watching them with a curious expression.

Barbara briefly laughed. She was slightly nervous but there was no more need to be afraid. Tommy still looked at her open and honest. In return he was glad he could not see any of her usual armour. She gave him a shy but hopeful smile and finally leaned into his embrace. Tentatively he had put his free arm around her. Their other hands still were interlaced.

Still she had to ask. "Are you sure, Tommy?" Her voice trembled. "I..."

Another soft kiss stopped all her concerns. Tommy was very sure. Then he nodded smiling. "For quite some time very much so. How about you? I have the vague feeling..."

"Probably even longer and surely surer." she cut him short. Her face was grinning.

"That's almost impossible."

Blushing about her own courage and with a voice slightly too loud than intended she dared him: "Well... Kiss me again and you'll see."

At first she was able to feel his grin when his lips crushed back on hers in a kiss that was desirously firm and tenderly soft all at once. His grin died completely when he felt that her lips had opened for him. When her arms were looped around his neck and her fingers buried into his hair and his hands had found their way under her jumper their kiss grew even more in its intensity. Unfortunately they had to part for the pure need of oxygen. Both were pleasantly out of breath like only lovers could be.

"Let's stay another day." he whispered onto her lips. "I would not want to drive on wet roads anyway."

"What will they say when we don't come back today?" Barbara halfheartedly objected while she nibbled at his upper lip. Her eyes refused to open.

"Nothing." Tommy softly bit her lower lip and chuckled lightly. "It's Sunday, they won't even notice. We have a few days off anyway. And we still have something to work out."

They started right away. The kiss and their touches turned needier. Neither of them hid their desire. It had been pent up for too long until they finally had set it free. Her fist still had been clenched around Frizzles' leash but with the rising desire Barbara eventually let it drop to the ground.

Moments later they tumbled into his room.

* * *

For a while he had watched the door that had closed before his nose could have peeped inside. It had turned boring so eventually Frizzles trotted away. He was not allowed in that room but if his new mistress would not need her bedroom he would have it all for him alone today. He intended to take a nice long nap on her bed. He did not care about the laughter and the sweet sounds coming from the other room. He was used to louder and distinctively more unpleasant noise.

Oh, what a lucky boy he was, finally having two humans who obvioulsy loved each other.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

 **...**


	22. Epilogue

**A/N:** You know me - there will be a treat and you know where to find it. But it's not yet completed so you may want to wait until then before you read the epilogue. **  
**

* * *

 **.**

 **Epilogue**

 **.**

* * *

It was Thursday when Assistant Commissioner Sir David Hillier finally found time to meet with his best team that just had solved a crime near Oxford and still had a few days off thereafter. DI Lynley and DS Havers, looking rather tired, sat in the chairs on the other side of his desk, the dog they had nursed since their return to London was calmly dozing at their feet. After a short debriefing of the case the detectives just had talked about him. They had told him that they had named the dog Frizzles.

"We've made an arrangement to make another film with you and... umm... Frizzles, Sergeant Havers." His nod was approving. "I know you will do it as good as the other one you've made."

Tommy shot a sideglance towards Barbara. She glared at Hillier as unpleased as he had expected. It amused him. She did not know yet that he had arranged the papers to keep Frizzles. By now not even Hillier knew it.

"And since Mrs Pentally unfortunately had no other relatives than her husband" Hillier went on, "who won't be able to care for it - due to several reasons - we have to find a new home for the do-"

"No!" Barbara cried out with wide eyes.

The AC gave her a confused look. He was slightly offended by her outburst. Tommy knew he had to intervene right now.

"What Barbara tried to say was that we'd like to keep Frizzles with _us_."

"With you? Both?" Hillier laughed. "Well, how do you think it would work? One week in Belgravia and the other in a small flat? I don't think that would be good for the dog."

* * *

Tommy exchanged a look with Barbara and their future seemed settled. After their return on Monday evening they had spent the entire time in his house cuddling, cooking, eating, sleeping, making love, talking about possible future scenarios and caring for the dog. It had worked so very well and it surely would work as well when they would return to the office for daily work. Of course there still was a lot to be talked through and worked out but for the moment they silently agreed on living together and telling Hillier right now what had developed in Wychwood Mallow, the nice little village northwest of Oxford.

Tommy took Barbara's hand in his and smiled at her before his eyes looked at their superiour again. "No. _We_ 'll take it home with _us_ to care for him _together_. Frizzles has found a new family in Belgravia. I'm already sorting out the needed papers."

Barbara squeezed his hand and happily grinned.

It was a shock for Hillier. His blank look at their joined hands quickly turned into despair when it dawned on him what that really meant. "Oh, heavens, No!" He double facepalmed and murmured between his fingers. "Ardery is going to kill me. You can't do this to me. You've been our best team."

"And that won't change, Sir." Barbara replied with a broad grin towards Tommy. "We _are_ the best team ever!"

* * *

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* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for your comments, your help and your reviews. Tess


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